Pro-family groups are angered -- and saddened -- that both houses of the New Jersey Legislature passed a measure Thursday granting same-sex couples the right to civil unions.
The legislation came in response to a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling last month that determined the state either must allow same-sex couples to marry or create civil unions that provide the same legal rights and benefits.
The tally in the Assembly was 56-19; in the Senate, 23-12 with five abstaining. Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council (NJFPC), said the vote was primarily along party lines.
"They have basically voted against defining marriage as a man and a woman," he told CitizenLink.
Lawmakers actually shut down the voice of those who stand for marriage, Deo said.
"We had almost three-dozen pastors who were cut off from providing testimony," he said. "They weren't allowed to speak by the Senate Judiciary Chairman. He let the pastors that were advocates for same-sex marriage speak then just cut the debate off."
Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to sign the bill.
Under the New Jersey bill, a civil union will be defined as a legal partnership that allows same-sex couples all the protections and benefits of marriage, but stops short of the title of "marriage." Both Vermont and Connecticut have similar civil union laws and California has a domestic-partnership law.
One significant difference, however, is that Connecticut and Vermont civil-union laws specifically exclude a right to create same-sex marriage. New Jersey's civil-union law does not limit marriage to the union of one man and one woman -- an omission that homosexual advocacy groups plan to exploit in their fight for same-sex marriage.
Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said homosexual-rights groups plan to push for full marriage benefits.
"In New Jersey, the 'State that Doesn't Hate,' the yardstick of satisfaction is 100 percent marriage equality for our families," he said. "We're not there yet."
In fact, the legislation includes a provision that will create a review board to investigate and report on how civil unions "fall short compared to true marriage equality."
Carrie Gordon Earll, director of issue analysis for Focus on the Family Action, said if the commission -- which was added at the urging of gay activists -- determines it does not provide all the benefits of marriage, legislators are expected to use its report to move toward approving same-sex marriage.
"There's no question that homosexual lobbyists flexed their political muscle to create this open door to future same-sex marriage," Earll told CitizenLink. "New Jersey is now one step away from full-fledged homosexual marriage unless the people make their opposition known."
Deo said activists are predicting that same-sex "marriage" will be approved within two years.
"I say, 'Over my dead body,' " he said.
NJFPC and other pro-family groups plan to move toward a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
"That's going to be a hard, arduous process," he said, "but we're going to work to do that."
