Statement from Freedom Indiana on HJR-3 and new “explanation” bill
INDIANAPOLIS — Freedom Indiana campaign manager Megan Robertson issued this statement today following the filing of HJR-3 (formerly HJR-6), the divisive amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would permanently define marriage and would remove existing protections under law for same-sex and unmarried couples and families.
Proponents of altering the Constitution also filed a companion bill seeking to explain away the ambiguity and potential harm of the amendment’s second sentence.
“Supporters of the amendment seem to finally understand that the language they want to permanently insert into our state’s founding document is deeply flawed.
“Unfortunately, instead of addressing the amendment’s defects through proper channels, they’re trying to sidestep and obfuscate the process by introducing a bill they think explains away the potential harm to Hoosier families. The bill is as troublesome as the amendment itself, which was renumbered to further confuse Hoosiers.
“In its official printed form, the amendment is 12 lines. The companion bill is 73 lines. Explaining the amendment shouldn’t take six times as many words as the amendment itself.
“The solution here is as simple as the math: either scrap the current language and start over, or better yet, admit that our Constitution is not the proper place to have this debate.
“We continue to believe that those trusted with making our state’s laws will see that this divisive fight in no way helps our state move forward and sends a terrible message that Indiana believes some Hoosiers should be more protected than others under our Constitution.”
Freedom Indiana is a bipartisan statewide organization that champions liberty for all Hoosiers. The organization is opposed to an amendment that would permanently alter the Indiana Constitution to define marriage and could potentially affect hundreds of protections related to marriage under current Indiana law. Freedom Indiana launched in August 2013.
