Gay Marriage Poses Dilemma for Lawmakers

[rodbarnett]

February 11, 2004, 2:11 AM EST


BOSTON -- Mark Montigny was raised by an Irish Catholic mother, went to Catholic camp as a kid and attended Catholic grammar school. He holds the church sacraments in high esteem. And he's a state senator who supports the rights of gays to marry.

"As a Catholic, I would never vote to diminish the sanctity of the church sacrament of marriage," said Montigny, a Democrat. "As a human being, I will never vote to deny someone their equal rights. It is my belief that the only requirement of civil marriage is enduring love and respect."

A proposal to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman has caused particular personal conflict for many Catholic legislators in Massachusetts. They are under no less pressure than a Vatican admonition that to support gay unions would be "gravely immoral."

<snip>

About 65 percent of the state's 200 legislators are Catholic, and the church has mobilized strenuous lobbying efforts in the state Legislature leading up to the constitutional convention. It also has tried to ignite the emotions of rank and file Catholics by sending letters to one million parishioners urging them to contact their lawmakers.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-gay-marriage-catholics,0,2152880.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[markus]

1. Funniest thing I've read in a while

From the same article:

"Archbishop Sean O'Malley has appeared at rallies in opposition to gay marriage, including one this past weekend that drew thousands to Boston Common in the shadow of the Statehouse. He said the court ruling that it was unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marriage "ratifies a trend that will only harm children."

Perhaps we should have an amendment banning Catholic clerics from having contact with children, as this would demonstrably reduce harm to children to a much greater extent than this amendment.

- A mostly-lapsed but raising my children Catholic Catholic