President Barack Obama signed a presidential memorandum today that extends many benefits now received by spouses of federal employees to same-sex partners of federal employees.
Family advocates say Obama’s action is a direct violation of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and a big step toward redefining marriage.
“The president thumbed his nose at the rule of law and continues to undermine marriage as society’s most pro-child institution,” said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus on the Family Action.
“It’s a settled principle of moral tradition and social science that says children do best with both a mom and a dad who are married to each other. Congress already defined marriage for purposes of federal law in 1996 with the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act.
“Treating same-sex partners as the equivalent of spouses is therefore a direct violation of DOMA and merely Obama's contribution to the clearly-stated, gay-activist agenda of redefining marriage and family.”
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, agreed.
"This order raises the question of whether the president has the authority to ignore DOMA and bypass the legislative process,” he explained. “We will review the order and confer with our legal counsel to determine an appropriate response.”
While Obama’s memo does not provide full health-insurance coverage to same-sex partners of federal employees, it does provide the following benefits, according to a White House news release: For civil service employees, domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program; supervisors can also be required to allow employees to use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and non-biological, non-adopted children. For foreign service employees, a number of benefits were identified, including the use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad, and inclusion in family size for housing allocations.
Obama’s signing of the memo comes amid criticism from gay activists that he is not doing enough, policywise, on their behalf.
John Barry, director of the Office of Personnel Management and the highest-ranking openly gay member of the administration, seemed to indicate in a media conference call that the White House is committed to blunting that criticism.
“This is a first step,” he said of the memo signed today, “not a final step.”
Perkins expressed disappointment that Obama would “act in response to homosexual groups threatening to withdraw from an upcoming fundraiser.”
“Rather than placing politics above the law,” Perkins said, “he should abide by the Defense of Marriage Act and fulfill his oath to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States.”
CitizenLink Staff Writer Roger Greer contributed to this report.
