Yesterday, Massachusetts became the first to challenge the federal law that defines marriage as a union of a man and woman. The suit, filed by Attorney General Martha Coakley, is based on the grounds that such a matter should be left to the decision of the individual states, and that with this law, the federal government infringed on states’ rights. The Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 undermines states’ efforts to recognize same-sex marriages, and forces states to discriminate against same-sex spouses or run the risk of loosing federal funding for programs such as Medicaid, and the Department of Federal Services Act. The federal government has said it cannot provide federal money for Masshealth (Massachusetts Medicaid program) if benefits are given to same-sex married couples.
For more information, visit:
