Feb. 24, 2004 – President Bush Announces Support for Constitutional Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriage

“President Bush backed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage Tuesday [Feb. 24, 2004], saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the ‘most enduring human institution.’ Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural and moral roots, Bush said, urging Congress to approve such an amendment.

‘After more than two centuries of American jurisprudence and millennia of human experience, a few judges and local authorities are presuming to change the most fundamental institution of civilization,’ the president said. ‘Their action has created confusion on an issue that requires clarity.'”