Sponsors of the proposed state constitutional amendment protecting marriage in California have submitted 1.1 million signatures to state authorities - more than enough to put the measure on the ballot in November. The Knights of Columbus, working closely with the National Organization for Marriage - California, were instrumental in the signature-gathering effort. Maggie Gallagher, the President of the National Organization for Marriage recently said, "The Knights made the difference between success and failure in this first step in California."
California voters will now have a chance to vote to protect marriage by defining it as an institution between one man and one woman. If passed by California voters, the amendment will place this definition into the state constitution, where the courts and the legislature cannot overturn it. The sponsors of the amendment wanted the measure to go before the voters this November because the California Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on a series of lawsuits seeking to establish same-sex marriage in the state.
The Knights of Columbus will always pursue laws that protect the dignity and integrity of marriage and family life. As Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said at the 2007 Supreme Convention in Nashville, "We must pray for, and support, those of every party who stand firm on the side of life and family."
In recent months Pope Benedict XVI has spoken publicly of the centrality of marriage and family. When receiving the new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See in February, the Holy Father praised the efforts of American citizens and government leaders who seek to "safeguard the institution of marriage, acknowledged as a stable union between one man and woman."
And in "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," a document issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 2007, the bishops add their voices: "The family - based on marriage between a man and a woman - is the first and fundamental unit of society and is a sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children. It should be defended and strengthened, not redefined or undermined by permitting same-sex unions or other distortions of marriage."
Twenty-seven states have passed constitutional amendments protecting marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In Florida earlier this year, a proposed state constitutional amendment protecting marriage was certified by the State Divisions of Elections, and the measure will go before Florida voters in November.
