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County Judge Robert Hanson decided Thursday that he will make the laws for Iowa. He struck down the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional and ordered Polk County to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant county attorney, argued the issue is not for a judge to decide. The county, home to state capital Des Moines, is expected to appeal the ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court.Dr. James C. Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family Action, called it another example of a judge legislating from the bench.“Once again, we see an activist judge handing liberal activists what they have not been able to achieve legislatively or at the ballot box: government sanctioning of same-sex marriage," he said. "This purely political ruling proves yet again that nothing short of a federal marriage-protection amendment is sufficient to preserve one-man, one-woman marriage in our nation.“By striking down Iowa’s DOMA, Judge Robert Hanson has shown he believes the desires of adults should trump what’s best for children. His ruling represents social engineering at its worst.”Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit, Varnum v. Brien, on behalf of six homosexual couples in Polk County District Court on Dec. 13, 2005."Sadly, little consideration seems to be given to the next generation of children," said Jenny Tyree, associate marriage analyst for Focus Action."One judicial decision could change the definition of marriage for every Iowan and deprive more children of either a mother or a father."As in the days of Noah...
