New Jersey Catholic Conference

211 North Warren Street · Trenton, New Jersey 08618-4894

(609) 599-2110 · Fax (609) 392-3094

E-mail: info@njcathconf.com

Web: www.njcathconf.com

William F. Bolan, Jr., J.D.

Executive Director

NEW JERSEY CATHOLIC CONFERENCE STATEMENT

ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE

The New Jersey Catholic Conference opposes same sex marriage because it attempts to cast aside marriage as our legal standard of legitimate cohabitation, in order to give legitimacy to homosexual cohabitation. Throughout history marriage --- the union of one man and one woman --- has offered societal stability by forming the physical, economic and cultural base for the orderly procreation, nurture and education of the next generation. Every major society has institutionalized a strong preference for marriage in its customs and laws. After all, at the very least, procreation is a necessary factor for a society’s continued existence. Homosexual cohabitation should not be granted the legal equivalence of marriage.

The institution of marriage has an irreplaceable role in our society, indeed in any society. Marriage is essential to the continuation of the human race, to the total development of the human person, and to the dignity, stability, peace and prosperity of the family and of society. Marriage is unique. And, therefore, it is fitting and proper for society to confer special recognition and benefits upon those who enter into the marriage relationship.

It is true that not every marriage between a man and a woman will be permanent or be blessed with children. It is also true that other relationships and commitments can be loving, mutual and even permanent. However, this does not alter the fact that the union of one man and one woman gives a singularly powerful witness to the interdependence between generations and the complementarity of the sexes. The witness is not and cannot be duplicated in other relationships. No other commitment signifies so powerfully this mutual reliance of men and women in private and public life. This mutuality warrants the special recognition our laws confer upon it.

We note that on November 5, 2003, a Superior Court judge dismissed the case of Lewis v Harris, a lawsuit for the right of same sex persons to enter into a government-sanctioned homosexual marriage. The Court held that New Jersey statutes permit marriage between a man and a woman only, and that there is nothing in the New Jersey Constitution or judicial decisions to support a conclusion that same sex marriage is a fundamental right. Similarly, the State of New Jersey, through the Attorney General’s brief in Lewis v. Harris, stated the following:

The Legislature has always defined marriage as the union of persons of different genders. This definition is consistent with the laws of every other State and the federal government, has remained unchanged for as long as marriage has been recognized in New Jersey, and comports with the historic meaning of marriage throughout the centuries. While it may be that society’s understanding and acceptance of gay men and lesbians has changed dramatically in recent years, it is the historic definition of marriage that is incorporated in the State’s Constitution and laws.

Legalization of same sex marriage would create public policy which supports a radical departure from the historic definition of marriage which is incorporated in our State’s Constitution and laws with the result that the meaning of marriage itself would be fundamentally changed. Accordingly, we oppose same sex marriage.

March 11, 2004