Cardinal, governor join to urge Massachusetts vote on marriage amendment
Jul 01, 2006
Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley joined with Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and local pro-family leaders in a June 28 press conference urging state legislators to allow a "fair vote" on a bid to amend the state constitution to protect marriage.
Boston, Jun. 29 (CWNews.com) - Massachusetts is the only state in the US in which same-sex unions can be accorded the full legal status of marriage. The petition drive is aimed to reverse a 2004 ruling by the highest court of Massachusetts, which required local officials to furnish marriage licenses for homosexual couples.
State legislators are scheduled to meet on July 12 in a constitutional convention, at which they will consider a citizen petition, signed by over 170,000 Massachusetts voters, calling for a referendum on the proposed constitutional amendment. If 25% of the legislators approve the measure during constitutional conventions in two consecutive years, the proposed amendment would be placed on the ballot for a statewide referendum in 2008.
However, opponents of the marriage-protection amendment have said that they may seek to avoid a vote during the legislators' session on July 12. In 2002, a previous petition drive was thwarted when the legislature adjourned the constitutional convention without voting on the measure. The state's Supreme Judicial Court later ruled unanimously that the legislators were obligated by law to vote on the petition, but voters had no way to enforce that decision.
In his statement to the June 28 press conference in Boston, Cardinal O'Malley said: "The debate over the meaning of marriage should not be limited to government officials. The magnitude of this issue calls for full participation by the citizens of the Commonwealth."
Governor Romney agreed that legislators should allow the voters of Massachusetts to decide the issue. The decision on July 12, he said, "will not be a vote for or against gay marriage. No, it will be a vote for or against democracy."
Two other Catholic diocesan bishops-- George Coleman of Fall River and Robert McManus of Worcester-- joined Cardinal O'Malley and a group of other religious and civic leaders at the June 28 event.
Cardinal, governor join to urge Massachusetts vote on marriage amendment