Indiana state officials have appealed Judge Richard Young's preliminary injunction requiring Indiana to recognize the out of state marriage of one lesbian couple (one of the ladies is terminally ill with ovarian cancer) to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Lambda Legal, who is representing the couple in court, has issued a statement.
From Lambda Legal:
Lambda Legal filed suit and won a court ruling requiring the State of Indiana to respect the marriage of Amy Sandler and Niki Quasney — an important victory for the couple and their two children, as Niki battles stage four cancer. Niki wants to be recognized as married in her home state while she is still alive. But our work is not done and the victory is at risk.
Please sign the petition and tell Attorney General Zoeller: Stop the appeal of the court ruling! It is an outrage and shameful that the State of Indiana would continue to fight this couple.
Niki and Amy have been in a loving and committed relationship for 13 years, and they have two children, ages 3 and 1. Almost five years ago, Niki was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer, having more than 100 tumors removed surgically in 2009, and years of chemotherapy. They were married in Massachusetts in 2013 but need their marriage to be legally recognized in Indiana to receive the full protections that every other married family in Indiana receives. Niki wants certainty that Amy will receive an accurate death certificate so that she can take care of Niki’s affairs and access the safety net available to a surviving spouse and young children.
“We were so relieved when the court ruled that our marriage should be respected here at home, and we hoped we could go back to our lives together as a family. I am shocked that the attorney general of my state would fight us like this. It’s just us and our daughters, and it’s heartwrenching to think that a powerful attorney like him wants to take away the constitutional protections that we should have never had to fight for in the first place.” —Niki Quasney
Please sign the petition if you can and have not done so already. Thanks.