Pelosi Statement on President's Endorsement of Gay Marriage Ban

February 24, 2004

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the President's endorsement of the proposed Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage:

"I strongly oppose this amendment and will work to defeat it.

"The United States Constitution is not a place for political wedge issues. The Constitution is about freedom, not about limiting freedoms. Never before has a Constitutional amendment been used to discriminate against a group of people, and we must not start now.

"This is a classic case of the President trying to distract from his failures. Whether the issue is Iraq, the economy and jobs or health care, the President and the Republicans are in disarray and in desperate need of a distraction. The American people deserve better."

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