Here are some of the week’s most notable quotes culled from news reports from across Texas, and beyond.
The final paragraph of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion holding that couples of the same sex have a constitutional right to wed.
No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed. It is so ordered.
——————————-
TFN President Kathy Miller, on Friday’s freedom to marry ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Today’s historic court decision for the freedom to marry joins other landmark rulings that have moved this country closer to the Constitution’s promise of equality under the law for all Americans. This is a truly life-affirming moment for so many gay and lesbian couples who want to make the same lifetime commitment to the person they love and protect their families the same way everyone else does.
——————————-
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on Gov. Greg Abbott approving a provision that will prevent Planned Parenthood from participating in a program that provides cancer screening for poor, uninsured women in Texas.
It’s really incredible how low the governor and some of the state legislators will go when you start throwing women out of cancer screening programs and making it impossible for them to continue to go get services where they have before.
——————————-
Former Texas State Board of Education chair Don McLeroy, attempting to shift the blame for the recent controversies at the state board, many of which happened under his watch.
I find it ironic that it its Mr. Ratliff, and the Texas Freedom Network(By the way, thank you for not including them in your story!) are the ones out there making contentious statements; it was always that way. The media has portrayed that it was the religious conservatives that caused ’embarrassing public fights’ when it was actually the other side. Just look again at who is ‘publicly fighting’ in your story.”
——————————-
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, on the renewed push to remove a statue of Jefferson Davis from the University of Texas campus.
As a world class university, UT should part with the divisive message represented by the Confederate statutes featured prominently on campus. It’s time to move them to a museum and consider replacing them with a general Civil War memorial plaque to all Americans who died.
——————————-
Rafael Cruz, father of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, questioning the faith of Catholic and Jewish Democrats.
Unfortunately, in the northeast, the Jews are Democrats first and Jews second. This is what has happened to a great many in the Catholic church. They are Democrats first and Catholics second.
——————————-
Nueces County Clerk Kara Sands, saying her office would not making special accommodations for a Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriages. Sands made the comments before the court ruled Friday.
I’m going to follow the Texas constitution. I’m county clerk for the state of Texas. I will do it, but it’s my understanding (the Supreme Court) ruling has no bearing on the counties in Texas.
——————————-
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, on repealing Obamacare following Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
We’ve tried that before, and it didn’t work very well.
——————————-
BONUS: The 19 Best Lines From the Supreme Court Decision That Just Legalized Gay Marriage
Fortunately God will not judge the righteous with the wicked as he spared Lot but torched Sodom and Gomorrah.
Does Kara Sands know that Texas is not a sovereign Country? Sheesh, how do people who are so ignorant keep their jobs?