Frist urges action on gay marriage
Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press

Published March 3, 2004
Last updated: March 3, 2004 at 8:03 PM MARR04
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Saying same-sex marriages are likely to spread across the nation like a "wildfire," Republican senators, including Majority Leader Bill Frist, exhorted Congress on Wednesday to embrace a constitutional amendment banning them.
"We simply will not let activist judges redefine that definition of marriage ... and that is a union between a man and a woman," the Tennessee Republican told a gathering of activists opposed to gay marriage.
Sen. Mark Dayton said Wednesday that marriage should be redefined as a religious ceremony, allowing for a civil "marital contracts" for both gay and heterosexual couples. Dayton, D-Minn., said Jesus does not condemn homosexuality or gay marriage anywhere in the New Testament.