'Anti-Gay' Religious Liberty Law: West Virginia

The West Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act (HB 4012) passed the House of Delegates 72-26 and is favored in the Republican-controlled Senate, but Democrat Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin may veto the bill.  Christians say the new RFRA law is necessary because the growing number of local nondiscrimination ordinances allow violations of their religious beliefs.  Sexual revolutionaries are threatening businesses in order to pressure politicians to kill the bill.

"This bill will give state courts a balancing test that guides judges in considering cases alleging that the action of a governmental body has violated a citizen's deeply held religious belief."
-- House Speaker Tim Armstead

"Religious freedom is a basic human right, and a vital Constitutional right, that deserves protection under West Virginia law. Every West Virginian should be free to live and work according to their faith without fear of being punished by the government."
-- House Majority Whip John O'Neal

For background, read about the state-by-state momentum for Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRA).

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Indiana Religious Liberty Law to Fight Gay Agenda Jettisoned by Republicans

Arkansas Religious Freedom Law NOT Gay Enough

Religious Liberty in Homosexualists' Crosshairs

Homosexualists Launch Commerce Attack on Indiana to get Gay Rights

Also read Supreme Court Justice Scalia Says Government Should Favor God of the Bible

-- From "W.Va. House passes Religious Freedom Restoration Act" posted at The Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, WV) 2/11/16

The proposal would let people cite religious objections to state actions in certain court proceedings.

Proponents say it protects people's freedoms to express sincere religious beliefs, as long as there isn't a compelling state interest to restrict them.

Opponents say it's a license to discriminate, particularly against gay people.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "W.Va. House passes Religious Freedom Restoration Act" by WSAZ-TV3 News Staff (Huntington, WV) 2/11/16

The bill models after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and laws that have been adopted by more than 20 other states.

Under the bill, if a person attempts to defend in court their religious beliefs against government action, a judge would use the following questions to evaluate the merits of the case:

1.) Does a person have a sincerely held religious belief?
2.) Has that belief been substantially burdened by government?
3.) Does the government have a compelling interest to substantially burden that belief?
4.) Has government exhausted all other means to achieve its goals without infringing on that belief, and is the action the least restrictive of that citizen’s religious beliefs?

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "WV House passes Religious Freedom bill, sends to Senate" by Erin Beck, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail 2/11/16

Supporters, mainly Republicans, argued that the bill simply codifies a balancing test for courts to abide by when determining if a person’s religious beliefs are being violated by state action and doesn’t guarantee any outcome of that test. Opponents, mainly Democrats, argued that the potential legislation will be bad for business, harm West Virginia’s reputation and encourage discrimination against marginalized groups.

Delegate Mike Azinger, R-Wood, spoke fervently and at length about his belief that the Founding Fathers supported a Christian government.

Some Democratic lawmakers noted that religion has been used to discriminate in the past.

Mayors of several cities with LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances, as well as a coalition of businesses worried about the economic impact of the bill, had spoken out against it.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "WV [small] businesses show support for LGBT patrons in wake of RFRA bill" by Erin Beck, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail 2/15/16

Local business owners plan to display “All Kinds Welcome Here” stickers, designed by Jessica Kennedy, to signal that the businesses are friendly to the LGBT community.

Paul Greco, owner of Sam's Uptown Cafe and the Boulevard Tavern, in Charleston, said he hopes, “All Kinds are Welcome Here” stickers, which were designed by Jessica Kennedy, will be ready for distribution at Sam's by the end of the week. Interested businesses can also reach out through the Sam's Facebook page.

Keeley Steele, owner of Bluegrass Kitchen, Tricky Fish and Starling's, said she would post the sticker at her businesses.

Julia and Frank Gonzales, owners of Mi Cocina de Amor, said they would post the sticker, as well.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Major employers mum on WV Religious Freedom bill" by Erin Beck, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail 2/17/16

A spokesman for Procter & Gamble, which is building a $500 million plant near Martinsburg, said the company believes it is “premature and inappropriate” to comment on the bill, since the company doesn't yet employ anyone in West Virginia.

The West Virginia United Health System is the second-largest private employer in the state, according to a Workforce West Virginia report from last fall.  Amy Johns, a spokeswoman for WVU Medicine, said . . . that no administrators were available to comment on the bill.

Charleston Area Medical Center spokesman Dale Witte said officials with that hospital system, the third-largest private employer in West Virginia, would not comment on the bill.

Marshall University spokesman Dave Wellman said the school also would not comment on the bill.

Representatives of Wal-Mart, West Virginia's largest private employer, and Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the state's fifth-largest employer, did not return multiple phone calls and emails. Wal-Mart opposed a similar bill in Arkansas, where the company is based.

Gary Broadbent, spokesman for Murray Energy Corp., said the company would not comment. Murray Energy is the sixth-largest private employer in the state, employing about 3,000 people in West Virginia. Broadbent did say the company has an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

In addition, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Gay Agenda: IBM Boycotts Christian Louisiana Gov. Jindal

Corporations Embrace Gay Agenda, With a Vengeance

Pro Sports, GOP Urge Supreme Court to Go Gay

And read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

Wisc. Atheists: Stop Prayer in West Virginia City

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is demanding that all prayer be forbidden prior to the start of civic meetings in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  City officials say that voluntary prayer is NOT illegal and it will continue.

"I think it is ridiculous that [the FFRF] feel they can run people's lives.  Last time I looked, this was not China or Russia. It's America. . . . If you don't want to say a prayer, sit down and don't say a prayer."
-- Mayor Jimmy Colombo

For background, read 13 States vs. ACLU in Appeals Court over Civic Prayer even though the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Allows Christian Prayer in Civic Meetings

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Christian Invocation Outrages California City Council

Muslim Prayer Ends Invocation Policy in North Carolina

Atheist Prayer Complaint Costs Mississippi School over $7500

School and Atheists Agree: Christians Must be Restricted in West Virginia

However, A Texas School Supt. Tells Atheists to Go Fly a Kite

-- From "Parkersburg council asked to drop pre-meeting prayer" by The Associated Press 7/7/15

[Council President J.R.] Carpenter and Councilman John Rockhold say the prayer is voluntary and the council isn't doing anything illegal. . . . Carpenter said the meetings are not officially called to order until after the prayer and Pledge of Allegiance have been said.

"That is a voluntary prayer and pledge prior to the meeting," he said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Group: Prayer change inadequate" by Gretchen Richards, Parkersburg News and Sentinel 8/13/15

The [FFRF] letter, addressed to Parkersburg City Attorney Joseph Santer, is the second sent to the city on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an organization which claims it seeks "to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church."

In response to the letter, Santer advised Parkersburg City Council to conduct all prayers prior to starting the meeting, to no longer invite the public to participate, and to not have any one elected official lead the prayer.

In the July 31 letter, the foundation claims the changes advised to council are insufficient. The letter claims that prayers said prior to calling the meeting to order are still attributable to the council and considered a form of government speech.

Parkersburg City Council will continue to say the Lord's Prayer before meetings, [Mayor] Colombo said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Group wants prayer stopped" by Michael Erb, Parkersburg News and Sentinel 7/7/15

City Clerk Connie Shaffer, who began working for the city in 1972, said the prayer has been a part of council meetings for as long as she can remember "and probably 100 years before that."

She said the practice did change slightly three or four years ago.

"If you'll notice, we have it before we call the meeting to order," she said.

Use of a prayer to open a meeting is done "in Congress, in the United States Senate. They do it in Charleston" at the West Virginia Legislature, [Mayor] Colombo said. "The prayer is optional and is done before the meeting starts. I don't see anything wrong with that.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Atheists, Satanists Force Bible Ban in Florida Schools

And read Atheists Force Bible Bans at Colleges Across America

School, Atheists Agree: Restrict Christians in WV

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), by threatening a lawsuit, successfully intimidated the Harrison County (West Virginia) School District into "banning prayer" (media are reporting).  Statements from school officials demonstrate that they fell for the FFRF propaganda and feared an actual lawsuit.

"I believe that anyone who wants to say a prayer, or any student that wants to say a prayer should have that right. I do not believe that any of that should be governed by schools."
-- Linda Long, Upshur County resident (WDTV-TV5)

For background, read how schools capitulate to atheists in Oklahoma, Delaware & Maine out of ignorance of the Constitution.

However, other schools know the facts:  Texas School Supt. Tells Atheists to Go Fly a Kite

UPDATE 3/20/15: Atheists Force Michigan Schools to Ban Christians

Also read Atheists Threaten to Sue Every School in Tennessee and in Mississippi but admit they're Short on Lawyers to Sue ALL Christians

In addition, read U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of public prayer, and read the resulting resurgence in public prayer following the Supreme Court decision including the long list of states enacting laws to bring prayer back to schools.



-- From "School Board Bans Prayer In School For Students And Staff In West Virginia District" posted at Inquisitr 3/15/15

Acting on complaints from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), the board is forcing all teachers, coaches, and staff, to put a stop to any form of student prayer that they see at school or a school-related event.

All staff are required to sign off on the memo banning prayer in school. The complaints were filed after it came to the FFRF’s attention that an athletic team had led a prayer at an unspecified event and invited another team to join them.

Coaches and employees of the district were not involved in the prayer.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Student-Athletes, Parents React to Letter about Prayer at Games" by Nicole Porter, WDTV-TV5 (Bridgeport, WV) 3/13/15

Superintendent Dr. Mark Manchin said that even though the alleged instance in question was not inside the school, it was at a school sponsored event on school property. That means no coaches, administrators or anyone associated with the Board of Education can lead a team in prayer. That's why the school board issued the [ban] letter, which needs signed by every coach.

Dr. Manchin did clarify though that student-athletes are still permitted to pray before games if they would like.

"It can be led by students, it can be led spontaneously by students, several students can get together to pray to whoever they wish. There's no banning of that," he said.

Dr. Manchin said this letter is just reiterating what has been told to coaches for years as part of federal law.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Harrison County Schools reminded of employee-led prayer ban" by Darlene J. Swiger, Staff Writer, The Exponent Telegram (Clarksburg, WV) 3/13/15

“We had a coach leading prayer and asking other coaches to participate,” Manchin said. “I spoke to the principal and personnel director and informed them. The principal spoke to the coach in question and that will no longer take place.”

The [FFRF] complaint said a concerned parent contacted the group about the coach encouraging and participating in prayer at games, both away and at home. It requested the district take immediate action to stop any and all school-sponsored prayers occurring.

“I don’t always agree with everything. It is the law of the land and we certainly will respect that,” Manchin said. “A memorandum was sent out by (Assistant Superintendent) Anthony Fratto as a reminder. We’ve given administrators this information every year.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Harrison Co. School Memo Bans Coaches, Staff from Leading Prayer at Athletic, Extracurricular Events" by Jeff Toquinto, Connect Bridgeport (West Virginia) 3/13/15

“I’m frustrated by it, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If that’s the law, I can’t in good conscience leave the school board exposed to legal penalties down the road. We don’t need the financial penalty and bad press that comes with that,” said Fratto.

Fratto cited several United States Supreme Court cases where school-sponsored prayer was shot down in the memo that was sent to principals. He also stated in the memorandum that “the fact that a student was leading the prayer did not cure the constitutional violation.”

“A teacher or a coach cannot be involved with this,” said Fratto. “My understanding, however, is that if a kid has a spontaneous prayer on their own and a few others join in then that would be fine. At the same time, I’m not a lawyer, but if it’s spontaneous that doesn’t seem to fit the definition of school sponsored and there’s nothing that can be done about that.”

“They were going to sue us immediately,” said Fratto. “ … I’m sure this has been in an issue in West Virginia before, but this is the first time that I, personally, am aware that it’s come to Harrison County.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Florida School Teaches Islam Including Prayer Rugs and Pseudo Prayer is Mandatory at School in San Francisco -- No complaints from atheists.

And yet read about the outrage against any Christian presence in public schools across America, including the war on Christmas, and read how the schools support atheists, even though polls show that most Americans support prayer in school.

Late-term Abortion Ban Passes in West Virginia

When the West Virginia legislature banned abortions after 20 weeks gestation last year, Democrat Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed the bill, but now with a Republican hold on a veto-proof majority, abortionists who murder children capable of feeling pain could lose their license to kill, with no exception for rape or incest.

For background, read As Pro-life Laws Sweep America, Liberals Battle Back as well as 75% of Abortion Clinics Closed: Jan. 2015 vs. 1991

Also read Gallup Poll: Americans Want Abortion Laws Changed

In addition, watch how Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi, who claims to be Catholic, refuses to acknowledge a fetus as a person.

-- From "W.Va. lawmakers pass ban on abortions after 20 weeks" by The Associated Press 2/25/15

With little debate, West Virginia senators cleared the ban Wednesday [29-5]. The House of Delegates passed it overwhelmingly [87-12] earlier this month after a more heated back-and-forth.

The proposal bans abortions after 20 weeks, with some exemptions for women in medical emergencies. Rape and incest aren't exempted, despite Democrats' effort to try to include them.

The proposal would also prohibit abortions when women have psychological conditions that could lead them to hurt or kill themselves.

Even for abortions that would be exempted, the bill requires doctors to terminate pregnancies in a way that gives "the best opportunity for the fetus to survive," unless the process would kill or irreparably harm the mother.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Full WV Legislature passes 20-week abortion ban" by Mandi Cardosi, Government Reporter, The State Journal 2/25/15

Sen. Corey Palumbo, D-Kanawha, offered an amendment to change the 20-week ban to 22 weeks. He said the amendment would have made the bill constitutional. Tomblin, acting on a similar bill last year, said he vetoed the measure because his office found it to be unconstitutional.

“Bills similar to this have been passed in at least 10 states; I think three of them have been challenged and all three have been held unconstitutional,” Palumbo said. “According to evidence out there, I don't see anyway this bill would be found to be constitutional.”

The bill did not contain criminal penalties against physicians for performing abortions, but a similar bill that passed the Legislature last year did contain penalties and was vetoed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "West Virginia lawmakers pass 20-week abortion ban" by Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times 2/26/15

The U.S. Supreme Court, which has barred undue restrictions on abortion before fetuses are viable outside the womb -- generally considered to be 24 weeks -- has declined to weigh in on "fetal-pain laws," at least so far.

The West Virginia legislation, titled the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act [HB 2568], provides no exceptions for rape or incest and threatens to strip medical licenses from providers who perform abortions after 20 weeks.

Federal judges have stopped similar pre-viability abortion bans in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Arkansas and North Dakota.

As of the start of February, 10 states had pre-viability abortion bans similar to the proposal in West Virginia, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health advocacy group.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "West Virginia Legislature Passes Ban on Abortions After 20 Weeks" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 2/25/15

Across the country, eight states have the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in effect: Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Texas. . . . More than 18,000 ‘very late term’ abortions are performed every year on perfectly healthy unborn babies in America.

The bill [considered last month in Congress] relies on the science of fetal pain to establish a Constitutional reason for Congress to ban abortions late in pregnancy. The science behind the concept of fetal pain is fully established and Dr. Steven Zielinski, an internal medicine physician from Oregon, is one of the leading researchers into it. He first published reports in the 1980s to validate research showing evidence for it.

He has testified before Congress that an unborn child could feel pain at “eight-and-a-half weeks and possibly earlier” and that a baby before birth “under the right circumstances, is capable of crying.”

He and his colleagues Dr. Vincent J. Collins and Thomas J. Marzen  were the top researchers to point to fetal pain decades ago. Collins, before his death, was Professor of Anesthesiology at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois and author of Principles of Anesthesiology, one of the leading medical texts on the control of pain.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Liberals Embrace Science Lies, Reject Science Truth Regarding Abortion

And read Abortion Rates Plunge: Liberals Fume, Call for More Access

Entire WV County Becomes School-run Orphanage-Plus

The breakdown of the family in McDowell County, West Virginia, has resulted in the government creating the ultimate nanny-state institution guided by the teacher's union via a taxpayer-funded public school system on steroids. The school system will provide all-day meals for children, medical care for citizens of all ages, as well as adult literacy and drug rehabilitation programs for the derelict parents.

"In addition to reading, writing and arithmetic, we're also acting as their parents."
-- Florisha Christian McGuire, principal

"I think the lessons are not just for this county or for this state, but across this country, that this community effort, this collective endeavor can be as successful as we all hope and think it can be. The implications are truly national."
-- Arne Duncan, President Obama's education head

For background, read Violence & Poverty due to Absence of Intact Family and also read Liberalism Causes Poverty in America: Study as well as Obama-CHILD-Care is Next, Says Nancy Pelosi

Need we be reminded? 44% of 'Middle America' Births are Out of Wedlock

-- From "In rural W.Va., schools rethink their role" by Philip Elliott, Associated Press 5/8/13

. . . McDowell County, a place perpetually ranked among the worst in the state by almost every measure. Twelve people a month die from drug overdoses here, while more than 100 people are on a waiting list to talk to rehab counselors via Skype. Three-quarters of all students live in a home where parents can't find work in this one-time coal hub that has slowed. The county leads the state in teenage pregnancies.

With this as the backdrop, the West Virginia Board of Education on Wednesday was set to formally alter the scope of these schools. The state took over the schools more than a decade ago and its leaders no longer will limit their mission to the traditional school day. The officials are going to try to turn the schools into a base, not just for the students but for all of those who live around here . . .

Some 72 percent of the students live in a home where neither parent is working. About 46 percent of students live in a home without a biological parent; many of them are in jail for drugs. Many of the students will become parents before they become graduates; the county leads the state in the teen birth rate, with roughly 1 in 10 females between the ages of 15 and 19 giving birth.

It's not as though McDowell County is a stranger to outsiders' help. In 1966 alone, the county received $721,000 from federal anti-poverty programs.

"Eight community centers were opened, each with a library and recreation area, classrooms for Head Start and well-equipped sewing and cooking areas. Instructors were hired to teach adult education and home economics. Recreation directors were employed," The New York Times wrote in a 1966 article from here.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Obama's MSNBC: Kids Belong to State, NOT Parents

A half-century after "government assistance" began, look where the county is now!

AGENDA: Grinding America Down (full movie on YouTube):


AGENDA: Grinding America Down (Full Movie) FREE to watch for a limited time (click here)! from Copybook Heading Productions LLC on Vimeo.

Marriage Protection Amendment in West Virginia

As part of its legislative agenda, the West Virginia House GOP members announced that they will be fighting to give West Virginians the right to vote on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

-- From "West Virginia GOP looks to define marriage" by The Associated Press 1/14/11

In a release sent out by Republican minority leader Tim Armstead, House Republicans call for the strengthening of West Virginia's Defense for Marriage statute to prevent it from being overturned by a Supreme Court.

Delegate Rick Snuffer, R-Raleigh, said the people of West Virginia should be allowed to vote on the amendment and decide for themselves if "one man, one woman," marriage should be the definition in the state's constitution.

Snuffer, a freshman delegate, said the Legislature needs to act proactively before a decision elsewhere forces lawmakers to make a decision on the issue. According to information provided at the press conference by Republican officials, the state Supreme Court of Appeals voted 3-2 to not hear a prior challenge to current law by homosexual couples.

Republican officials in West Virginia say West Virginians overwhelmingly support traditional definitions of marriage as one man and one woman.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Marriage Amendment Introduced at Capitol" posted at West Virginia MetroNews 1/14/11

For the sixth consecutive year, the state legislature will consider a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

The amendment as follows: "Only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions. This state and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for same-sex relationships to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities or effects of marriage.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Boley, Nohe co-sponsor gay marriage ban" by Brett Dunlap, Parkersburg News 1/14/11

Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, and Sen. David Nohe, R-Wood, were co-sponsors of the Senate version of the amendment.

"The people of West Virginia have always been conservative," she said. "It is just the way it is here. So far, I have not received any opposition to it."

West Virginia Family Foundation President Kevin McCoy said . . . "The amendment will also preserve the unique legal benefits that are provided for this sacred institution and prohibit counterfeit relationships such as homosexual 'civil unions' and 'domestic partner benefits,' which are homosexual 'marriage' by another name."

McCoy noted the state Supreme Court of Appeals has established "sexual orientation" as a "protected class" in its Code of Judicial Conduct Canon. Three other state supreme courts - California, Iowa and Massachusetts - each cited their state's adoption of identical policies as validating their rulings declaring same-sex marriage a constitutional right.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Prayer Banned by Four Students at Commencement

West Virginia University at Parkersburg trashed the invocation and benediction at the nurses' pinning ceremony after polling the students yielded less than unanimous support -- a decision contrary to long-standing Supreme Court rulings.

-- From "Groups protest lack of prayer in ceremony" by Michael Erb, Parkersburg News and Sentinel 12/16/10

The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian-based legal group, in a letter to WVU-P this week asked the college to "restore the traditional invocation and benediction to the nursing program's pinning ceremony," according to a release by the group.

According to the alliance, of the 44 students to graduate, 40 indicated they wanted the prayer left in the program, and believed based upon their majority their wishes would be met.

Connie Dziagwa, spokeswoman for WVU-P, released a statement Wednesday from the college.

"Despite suggestions to the contrary, students are not being denied the right to pray at pinning. As part of the program, a moment of silent reflection is being included so students and their families can have an opportunity for private reflection in their own way," according to the statement.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "ADF letter urges WVU-Parkersburg to reinstate prayers at graduation ceremony" posted at Alliance Defense Fund 12/14/10

“America’s Founding Fathers regularly opened official public ceremonies with prayer, and federal appeals courts have consistently ruled that universities can do the same at their graduation ceremonies,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Travis Barham. “These prayers have been constitutional for centuries, and this type of religious expression is still protected by the First Amendment today. The U.S. Constitution has never required universities to purge public ceremonies of all things religious.”

ADF attorneys point out in their letter that nothing in the U.S. Constitution prohibits such prayers in university ceremonies. They explain that the phrase “separation of church and state” appears nowhere in the Constitution and that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not prohibit prayers at university graduations but instead actually protects them.

“Federal appellate courts have unanimously upheld clergy-led prayers at university graduation ceremonies, and literally decades of Supreme Court precedent holds that the government may not ban speech--including religious speech--merely because some people might find it offensive,” the ADF letter states.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

West Virginians May Soon Vote on Marriage Amendment

With over 70 percent of voters supporting traditional marriage, state senators are moving forward on legislation to put a marriage amendment to a vote.

-- From "Marriage amendment making inroads in W. Virginia" by Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow 2/24/2010

Under the West Virginia constitution, an amendment must first be passed by the legislature before it can be placed before the state's voters. SJR 14 simply states: "Only a union between man and woman is valid or recognized as marriage in West Virginia."

It will take a super-majority vote in both houses -- or 60 percent -- to put the issue on a future ballot.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gay-marriage ban fails in House" by Alison Knezevich, Staff writer, Charleston Gazette 2/23/10

Democrats in the House of Delegates on Tuesday swiftly shot down Republican attempts to advance a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

GOP delegates unsuccessfully tried to force a floor vote on a bipartisan resolution (HJR5) called the "Marriage Protection Amendment." The proposal calls for a statewide referendum on whether to amend West Virginia's constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Republicans also tried to force a vote on the marriage amendment last year, but Democrats blocked the move.

Half of the six of sponsors of this year's "Marriage Protection Amendment" are Democrats, but many Democrats likely do not want to vote on the controversial issue.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.