ECM Publishers which owns a chain of newspapers in suburban, exurban and rural Minnesota has come out against the anti-gay marriage amendment and is urging Minnesotans to vote against it.

Blue Stem Prairie noted late last week that ECM had published an editorial against the amendment in the Morrison County Record.

In “Vote ‘No’ on ill-considered marriage amendment,” ECM wrote:

The Editorial Board of ECM Publishers Inc. joins Carlbom, Minnesotans United for All Families and more than 500 organizations in opposing the proposed marriage amendment, which seeks to define marriage in our state constitution as a union between a man and a woman and would limit the freedom of same-sex couples to marry.

The key word here is freedom.

Passing the amendment would place limits in our constitution on the freedom of same-sex citizens. It would erect a barrier to continuing the discussion of same-sex marriage, for today’s voters and for future generations of Minnesotans who may want to reopen the debate.

On Monday, the Princeton Union-Eagle published, “Passage of marriage amendment would suppress freedom,” essentially the same editorial.

It’s a debate about law and governance, and we think it’s wrong that the question is on the ballot at all. There is already a law on Minnesota’s books defining marriage as an act between a man and a woman. That means that today, without any amendment being approved or disapproved, Minnesota does not legally recognize or sanction same-sex marriages.

That will not change regardless of how Minnesotans vote on the marriage amendment. If the amendment fails, same-sex couples will still not be allowed to legally marry in Minnesota.

For these reasons we oppose the marriage amendment.

This is a product of the ECM Editorial Board.