Originally published September 23 2005
California governor Schwarzenegger says he will veto gay marriage bill
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
On grounds that the bill should be determined by judicial, not legislative, action, Governor Schwarzenegger will veto the gay marriage bill that passed through legislation recently.
Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto an historic bill that would have legalized "gay marriage" in the state, his press secretary said Sept. 7.
The state Assembly passed the bill Sept. 6 by a mostly party-line vote of 41-35, sending it to the desk of Schwarzenegger, who previously had not taken a public position on it.
Just five years ago, voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative (Proposition 22) protecting traditional marriage by a margin of 61-39 percent.
"The Governor believes the matter should be determined not by legislative action --- which would be unconstitutional --- but by court decision or another vote of the people of our state.
A lawsuit that would legalize "same-sex marriage" is making its way through the California courts.
In March a lower court judge struck down Proposition 22, saying it violates the state Constitution.
Attorneys for two conservatives groups, the Alliance Defense Fund and Liberty Counsel, told Baptist Press that if Schwarzenegger signed the bill, their respective organizations were prepared to file suit.
"We thank the governor for understanding the constitutional restrictions on the legislature and announcing he will respect the peoples' vote to protect marriage licenses for a man and a woman," Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, said in a statement.
Two separate pro-family coalitions --- VoteYesMarriage.com and ProtectMarriage.com --- are hoping to collect enough signatures to place a marriage amendment on the ballot in 2006.
"The only way we can guarantee that this does not happen again is to enact a constitutional amendment protecting marriage," the California Family Council said.
Assembly sponsor Mark Leno, an open homosexual, has argued that Proposition 22 only bans out-of-state "marriages" but not in-state ones.
"The homosexual activists were totally opposed to Proposition 22 because they said it would outlaw same-sex marriage," Lorence told BP.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml