Jennifer Lundgren's letter urging "Minnesota to pass a gay marriage ban" (April 28) was full of factual errors.
First, Minnesota already bans same-sex marriage. I presume she means to write that she would like to see the Legislature and voters of Minnesota approve a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. While similar, the two are quite different.
With the current ban being legislative, the possibility exists for the Judicial branch to determine it to be a violation of the state Constitution. By making the ban part of the constitution, the court's power over this issue would vanish, since a component of the state constitution cannot be declared unconstitutional.
Second, North Dakota did not "...set an example for the rest of the country" when it banned same-sex marriage. Maryland was the first state to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman in 1973.
This is a very divisive issue, and if there is going to be quality debate about it, the facts presented must actually be factual.
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Adam Burnside
Moorhead
