October 27, 2006
Once again a court has attempted to decide for the people a social issue of great importance. In this case it was the New Jersey Supreme Court which ruled Wednesday that while there is no right to same-sex marriage in the state constitution, homosexual couples are treated unequally and legislators must find a way to correct it.
The vote was 4-3. the court gave the legislature six months to rectify the situation.
This is why there need to be state constitutional amendments in every state. Several states in the November 7 elections have such amendments on their ballots. There is one in Virginia, where I live.
You may have heard from opponents of these amendments that they are not needed and that statutory authority is sufficient. The ruling by the new jersey and other courts is proof that it is not. People who want to reserve marriage – by whatever name – for men and women need these constitutional amendments to insure marriage remains what it has always been. Then we need to work on our own marriages, too many of which are falling apart.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
