Two pieces of legislation passing through the Virginia General Assembly are worth mentioning. First, this fine Commonwealth is well on its way to a voter referendum on same-sex marriage in November. This is just further proof that today’s conservative government movement is about nothing more than wielding State power to achieve social objectives. Here’s the text:
Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); marriage. Provides for a referendum at the November 2006 election on approval of a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage. The proposed amendment provides that “only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.” The proposed amendment also prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing “a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage.” Further, the proposed amendment prohibits the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing “another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage.”
Next, this bill is interesting not because of its subject, but because of how it defines what its terms to achieve its objective. Consider:
Action for wrongful death; pre-born child. Creates a cause of action for the wrongful death of a pre-born child.
The merits of the bill are entirely separate, but I thought we still referred to “pre-born” as “fetus”.