Trenton - The New Jersey Family Policy Council is very pleased that the Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold the institution of marriage between a man and a woman.  Maryland's highest court reversed the circuit court, ruling today that the marriage law did not violate the state Equal Rights Amendment, did not discriminate on the basis of sex and that the state has an interest in fostering procreation and the traditional family. The court's opinion stated: "In light of the fundamental nature of procreation, and the importance placed on it by the Supreme Court, safeguarding an environment most conducive to the stable propagation and continuance of the human race is a legitimate government interest."

This follows rulings by the high Courts in New York, Georgia and Washington. In New Jersey marriage is still unprotected. Unlike, many other states, we have no Defense of Marriage Act or at the present time Constitutional protection. The legislature in response to a mandate from the NJ Supreme Court gave same-sex couples the benefits they clamored for and that is where it should end.  

As Len Deo, president of NJFPC stated, “New Jersey law should be very clear about what marriage is.  The bottom line is people have the privacy right to choose to live out their lifestyle, but they don’t have the right to redefine marriage in the process.  Only marriage between a man and a woman should be valid and recognized in New Jersey. The only way to do that now is to pass a State Constitutional Amendment defining marriage.”  

In New Jersey, we are not out of the woods yet.  Len Deo has previously stated that, “the efforts of activists to eradicate traditional marriage as being the union between only one man and one woman will continue and it is anybody’s guess if Governor Corzine will cater to their demands. Steven Goldstein’s view of marriage opens it up to all types of combinations and definitions. Therefore, New Jersey citizens should be given the right to vote to protect marriage,” Deo added.

The New Jersey Family Policy Council is working with other pro-marriage organizations, the Marriage Law Project, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and the Alliance Defense Fund, a non-profit litigation center, which aides in the defense of traditional marriage throughout America.

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