President targets same-sex marriage

WASHINGTON -- President Bush called on the nation last night to defend the sanctity of heterosexual marriage, and suggested that a constitutional amendment may be needed to codify marriage as the union of a man and woman.

In a State of the Union message that embraced traditional family values and faith-based institutions, Bush asserted that "activist judges . . . have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's voices must be heard."

While he did not name the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court or refer directly to its landmark November ruling that same-sex couples have the right to marry, Bush said, "If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process.

"Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage," Bush said.

Social conservatives, who have been urging Bush to back an amendment, said they were disappointed and exasperated that he has failed to act more forcefully on what they view as the country's most pressing cultural issue.

"The court in Massachusetts tossed a cultural time bomb 64 days ago. It's ticking, and once it goes off, it's too late, and the damage is done," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council.

Perkins added that if gay marriage is permitted in Massachusetts, it will be only a matter of time before courts in other states require recognition of such unions.

Bush has not taken a position on civil unions or domestic benefits to same-sex couples, issues that the Massachusetts Legislature is grappling with now.

"The outcome of this debate is important, and so is the way we conduct it," Bush said. "The same moral traditions that define marriage also teaches that each individual has dignity and value in God's sight."

Perkins said he was surprised Bush did not note this week's anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision or hail last year's enactment of the Partial Birth Abortion Act, the first federal law to ban an abortion procedure.

Pledging to help families raise "healthy, responsible children," the president proposed adding $23 million to the budget for drug testing in schools, and he called on sports team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to "take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids right now."

Bush also said "to encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the dangers young people face, even when they are difficult to talk about."

He said each year some 3 million teenagers contract sexually transmitted diseases that "can harm them, or kill them, or prevent them from ever becoming parents."

He proposed a "grass-roots campaign" to educate families about the risks and a doubling of federal funding for abstinence programs "so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.

"All of us -- parents, schools, government -- must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture and to send the right messages to our children," Bush said.

The president also proposed a four-year, $300 million initiative to help newly released prisoners get job training, mentoring, and housing.

He renewed his request for legislation giving faith-based charities equal opportunity to win government grants and contracts.