On July 14, by a vote of 48 to 50, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to consideration of the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA).
FMA is a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and prevent liberal judges from reading a "right" to same-sex marriage or civil unions into state or federal constitutions.
Although some legislators have previously argued that the Constitution is not the right forum for protecting traditional marriage, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision last year-which mandated gay marriage in that state without any legislation or other input by elected representatives-made it painfully obvious that a Constitutional amendment is the only remedy.
A "yes" vote was a vote for the cloture motion, to bring the federal marriage amendment to consideration and a final vote - in effect, a "yes" vote was a vote to protect traditional marriage. A "no" vote was a vote to kill FMA-in effect, a vote for homosexual marriage.
| For the Motion: 48 | Against the Motion: 50 |
| REPUBLICANS FOR (45): Alexander Allard Allen Bennett Bond Brownback Bunning Burns Chambliss Cochran Coleman Cornyn Craig Crapo DeWine Dole Domenici Ensign Enzi Fitzgerald Frist Graham (S.C.) Grassley Gregg Hagel Hatch Hutchison Inhofe Kyl Lott Lugar McConnell Murkowski Nickles Roberts Santorum Sessions Shelby Smith Specter Stevens Talent Thomas Voinovich Warner DEMOCRATS FOR (3): |
REPUBLICANS AGAINST (6): Campbell Chafee Collins McCain Snowe Sununu DEMOCRATS AGAINST (43): INDEPENDENTS AGAINST (1): |
NOT VOTING: 2
| REPUBLICANS (0): | DEMOCRATS (2): |
| . | Edwards Kerry |
