Bad News From Massachusetts on Good Friday

 "The real possibility that Massachusetts could impose same-sex marriage on the entire nation -- again by judicial fiat -- will almost certainly re-energize defenders of traditional marriage who have felt the definition of marriage was secure in their state. A federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman will be the only clear response to this attack on marriage."     

  Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archdiocese of Boston (Good Friday editorial in the Boston Pilot)

On Good Friday, it was revealed that the destruction of marriage that has already taken place in Massachusetts may soon find new channels to spill across state lines - and into your home state.  The editorial below captures the view of AFM Advisory Board Member Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston on this disturbing development.

AFM drafted our Marriage Protection Amendment in order to provide federal protection for marriage in the face of lawsuits - like the infamous Goodridge decision of the Massachusetts supreme court  - that activists groups have always planned to use to further their national ambitions.  However, until now, interstate fallout from the ruling of the Massachusetts high court has been limited due to a historic law in the Bay State preventing out-of-state residents from obtaining a marriage license.  

But the arrogance and elitism of those trying to force the destructive social revolution of Goodridge upon our entire nation apparently knows no bounds.  Emboldened by the current regime in Congress - but fearful of the power of the people -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and top lawmakers have a new plan to dump the toxic waste of the Goodridge ruling across state lines.

By simply repealing a 1913 law that prohibits out-of-state "same-sex" individuals from marrying, Massachusetts can force its hand upon America.  This will allow the anti-democratic opinion of one Massachusetts judge - who cast a deciding vote in the 4-3 Goodridge ruling - to open the door to legal challenges to marriage across America.

With repeal of the law, which is supported by the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President, gay and lesbian activists can come to Massachusetts to marry, and then return home to file a lawsuit demanding full recognition of their "Massachusetts marriage."

This means nothing short of legal chaos in the states -- with a Congress, now in the grip of San Francisco House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, standing idly by while the commonsense definition of marriage as a man and a woman is destroyed in the courts.

It's no surprise that Gov. Patrick says, "I will sign that bill."  After all, the power of the people looms heavily upon him, with Massachusetts just a whisker away from placing a marriage amendment on the ballot for the people to decide.

 Good Friday  (April 6, 2007) 

Editorial

If Gov. Deval Patrick was expecting to advance the cause of same-sex marriage by ordering state officials to record 26 same-sex marriages performed for out-of-state couples, he may be surprised at the long-term consequences.

Patrick's predecessor had refused to allow the recording of out-of-state same-sex marriages based on a Massachusettslaw that prevents marriages from being recorded if they would not be recognized in the couple's home state. With that decision, Mitt Romney largely contained the same-sex marriage issue to Massachusetts.

The recording of those 26 marriages (and we can assume thousands of future ones) will not change the marriage status of the couples in their home states. The Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

However, as more and more couples seek recognition of their Massachusettssame-sex marriages in their home states, the chances of a challenge to DOMA in the federal courts will grow. It's a challenge that is likely to make it all the way to the Supreme Court and many legal experts doubt DOMA will survive the trip.

The real possibility that Massachusettscould impose same-sex marriage on the entire nation -- again by judicial fiat -- will almost certainly re-energize defenders of traditional marriage who have felt the defin ition of marriage was secure in their state. A federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman will be the only clear response to this attack on marriage.

If there is any good news at all in this move by Gov. Patrick it is that, by raising the specter of the nationwide same-sex marriage, the governor may have, in fact, set back the cause of the gay-rights lobbies he openly supports.

What's certain is that radical activists will continue to force their destructive agenda upon America.  This is why AFM's broad-based movement - now expanding to through our Marriage Protection Caucus? to state legislators in every state - is so critically necessary.  It is only a matter of time before we begin the final phase of the historic struggle over AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment.

God Bless You,

Matt Daniels, J.D., Ph.D.

Founder and President