A new poll shows that nearly seven in 10 Massachusetts voters don't want the state Supreme Judicial Court deciding for them whether homosexuals should be allowed to marry in the Bay State.
In the Zogby International survey, released today, 69 percent of those polled said they want to be heard on the issue — a chance the Legislature could give them if it votes to hold an election on a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect the traditional definition of marriage.
"The people of Massachusetts want a say in how marriage will be defined in their state," said Glenn T. Stanton, senior analyst for marriage and sexuality at Focus on the Family. "Given the important role marriage plays in the welfare of a society, such a decision cannot be left up to four unaccountable judges bent on social engineering."
It was Nov. 19 when the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) voted 4-3 in a case brought by homosexual activists that denying marriage licenses to gay couples is unconstitutional. Not only did the court overstep its constitutional role by usurping the Legislature's authority to decide how marriage is defined in the commonwealth, it compounded its arrogance by ordering lawmakers to find a way to make state law agree with the ruling within 180 days.
A Feb. 11 constitutional convention, during which lawmakers will take the first of two votes on whether to let the people vote on the Marriage Affirmation and Protection Amendment, known colloquially statewide as the "MA & PA," is one way lawmakers are trying to comply with that order.
If the people were allowed to vote today, the Zogby poll found, they would pass the "MA & PA." Fifty-two percent of respondents said they believe marriage should be restricted to the union of one man and one woman, compared to 42 percent who have no problem with the expansion of the institution to homosexuals.
Leading the charge to pass the amendment is the Coalition for Marriage, a broad group of individuals and organizations — including Focus on the Family — dedicated to educating residents about the benefits of traditional marriage and motivating them to take a stand to preserve it.
Ron Crews, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute and the coalition's chief spokesman, said the poll indicates the education campaign is working.
"It seems the more people consider the long-term impact of homosexual marriage on the family and society," he said, "the more they oppose homosexual 'marriage'."
And not just in Massachusetts. A pair of recent national polls, one by The New York Times and CBS News and one by USA Today and CNN, found that better than 60 percent of Americans oppose the legalization of homosexual "marriage." Those are important numbers, too, in light of congressional efforts to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment — momentum for which has picked up in the wake of the SJC ruling.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, another Coalition for Marriage member, said it is becoming clearer every day that Americans understand the importance of keeping matrimony truly holy.
"A majority of Americans are worried about the state of marriage in America," Perkins said. "These polls show that despite favorable media coverage for same-sex 'marriage' and the left's political-correctness campaign, Americans know what the definition of marriage is, and they want it protected.
"President Bush must use his upcoming State of the Union address to clarify his support for a federal marriage amendment," Perkins added, noting that the president has offered only lukewarm support to date. "Doing so would not only enhance the amendment's chances for success, but it would also garner the president greater support among the American public."
TAKE ACTION/FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about why traditional marriage benefits men, women, children and society — and for information on how you can relate those truths to the members of the Massachusetts Legislature — click here.
For information about the Federal Marriage Amendment, including sample e-mails you can send to your U.S. senators and congressmen urging their support, visit our Stop Judicial Tyranny Web site.
