New Jersey Family Policy Council

Len Deo (973)781-1414	5/15/2008

Activist California Court Runs Amuck Illustrates Why the PEOPLE of NJ MUST DECIDE!

Trenton - The New Jersey Family Policy Council is appalled that the Supreme Court of California abandoned the rule of law and common sense today ruling 4-3 to legalize marriages between same-sex couples. The court re-wrote marriage law and ignored the will of citizens who in 2000 approved legislation by a vote of 61.4% preserving the definition of marriage as one man and one-woman only. California s highest court also reversed the Appeals Court ruling which had previously upheld the Proposition 22 ballot initiative that had amended California marriage law. Over 1.1 million Californians recently signed petitions to place a ballot initiative in the November General election that gives voters the opportunity to amend their state constitution to expressly define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Such an amendment will overturn the outrageous ruling by a mere majority of four justices of the California Supreme Court that undermined the will of the people in California. "This is a prime illustration why the New Jersey Legislature must also pass a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage as soon as possible. We must Let the People Decide this critical issue that will affect us all," said Len Deo, President of the NJ Family Policy Council. Greg Quinlan, Director of Government Affairs for NJ Family First, the legislative action arm of the NJ Family Policy Council, commented, "Many New Jerseyans do not realize that a state constitutional amendment is the only way to prevent activist courts, including the infamous NJ high court, from redefining marriage without the consent of the legislature or the people." With today s ruling and press reporting, the people of New Jersey will likely get a wake-up call and support for a state constitutional amendment should increase. The Legislature responded in 2006 to a mandate from the NJ Supreme Court giving same-sex couples the benefits they clamored for and that is where it should end. "New Jersey law should be very clear about what marriage is" Len Deo warns. "Marriage is not about sexual preference, otherwise where would the redefinition end? Marriage defines a public virtue that responsibly regulates human sexuality, brings the complimentary nature of man and woman together in a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship, and provides mothers and fathers to their children for the proper development of the next generation. The bottom line is people have the right to choose to live out their lifestyle, but they don t have the right to redefine marriage for everyone else. Sixty-one percent of New Jerseyans agreed with this statement even prior to today s activist decision. Only marriage between a man and a woman should be valid and recognized in New Jersey. The only way to do that now is for the NJ Legislature to give citizens the right to pass a State Constitutional Amendment defining and protecting marriage."
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