NOM’s Brian Brown Dismisses NC Marriage Amendment’s Threat To Domestic Violence Laws As "Scare Tactics"

During the May 6 edition of Fox News’ America’s News Headquarters, Shannon Bream hosted a segment to discuss North Carolina’s upcoming vote on a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the state from recognizing any “domestic legal union” outside of heterosexual marriage. The segment featured Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), and Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director for Freedom to Marry.

The discussion eventually turned to the subject of the amendment’s broad wording, which critics have warned could threaten domestic violence protections and health benefits for unmarried couples:

BREAM: Brian, does [the amendment] go too far?

BROWN: Not at all. These are all scare tactics because those that want to redefine marriage in North Carolina realize that they’ve lost the marriage debate. So they’re throwing out absolute scare tactics. They’ve thrown out the idea that somehow domestic violence won’t be prosecuted. Thirty law enforcement officials, including judges and district attorneys, have said that that is just an out and out lie, as have lawyers. The same is true with the health benefits. Seventeen states have marriage amendments that protect marriage from attempts to redefine it in other ways that include civil unions or domestic partnerships and what Marc’s claiming simply is not true.

What Brown refers to as a “scare tactic” is actually a concern that’s been raised by family law professors from every law school in North Carolina. Due to the measure’s vague wording, domestic violence protections between unmarried individuals could potentially be considered ‘domestic legal unions’ and be invalidated under the amendment.

The statement released by the “thirty law enforcement officials” cited by Brown has also been debunked by several family law professors, including one who argued that the statement “completely misses the point.”

Brown’s complaints about the use of “scare tactics” in North Carolina are ironic considering the fact that many commentators have noted the anti-gay extremism and horror stories that NOM and its anti-gay allies have been peddling in North Carolina over the past several months.

Previously:

Alliance Defend Fund “Overruled” Narrower Version Of NC’s Amendment One

NC Law Professor: Amendment One Supporters ‘Completely Miss The Point’ On Domestic Violence Protections

NC Law Professor Corrects The Record: Amendment One Could 'Invalidate' Domestic Violence Protections