Political Quotes

“I am very pleased to introduce today a bill to strike the law commonly known as DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. I want to thank my cosponsors--Senators Leahy, Gillibrand, Kerry, Boxer, Coons, Wyden, Lautenberg, Blumenthal, Merkley, Durbin, Franken, Schumer, Murray, Whitehouse, Shaheen, Udall of Colorado, Inouye, and Akaka for working with me on this important bill. Today, there are between tens of thousands of legally married same- sex couples in the United States, and more than 18,000 in my State of California alone. These couples live their lives like all married people. They share financial expenses, they raise children together, and they care for each other in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until death do they part. But here is the rub. Right now, because of DOMA, these couples cannot take advantage of federal protections available to every other married couple in this country. For example, because of DOMA, these couples cannot file joint Federal income taxes and claim certain deductions; receive spousal benefits under Social Security; take unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act when a loved one falls seriously ill; obtain the protections of the estate tax when one spouse passes and wants to leave his or her possessions to another. This has a very real impact. Let me tell you, for example, the stories of a married couple in California.…”