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Pro-Con on Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

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court [5]Below are two different opinions on the ruling this week that legalizes same-sex marriage in Oregon. One from the Oregon Attorney General [6] and the other from the Oregon Catholic Conference [7].

Oregon Attorney General:
This is an historic day for our state. I am delighted that Judge Michael McShane struck down Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage, finding no legitimate state purpose justifies the preclusion of gay and lesbian couples from civil marriage. The U.S. District Court concluded that Oregon’s constitutional ban is not defensible under the United States Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.I did not take lightly my decision not to defend the Oregon constitution in this matter. That is why we presented the court with all of the arguments we were aware of that had been made in other jurisdictions. And that’s why my office carefully explained in a lengthy brief and at oral argument why making those arguments in this case would have been at odds with our oath to defend the United States Constitution.Today’s decisive ruling shows that the U.S. District Court also considered these arguments and rejected them. The ruling affirms our state’s commitment to equal protection under the law. It says, plainly and simply, that under the supreme law of the land, it is not okay to deny same-sex couples in Oregon the same right to marry that is given to opposite-sex couples.As I said three months ago, marriage is the way loving couples become family to each other and to their extended families. As the court said: “Creating second-tier families does not advance the state’s strong interest in promoting and protecting all families.” I would like to personally congratulate and welcome the many families that will soon be recognized as a result of today’s historic ruling.

The Oregon Catholic Conference
The Oregon Catholic Conference is deeply grieved by Judge Michael McShane’s ruling to redefine marriage.It is a travesty of justice that marriage, as the foundation of society, received no defense in the U.S. District Court. Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, in an extreme dereliction of her sworn duty to uphold the law, refused to represent the interests and the people of Oregon. It is a sad day for democracy when one federally appointed judge can overturn, without any representation, the express will of the people of Oregon.Despite the judge’s ruling, authentic marriage remains what it has always and only been according to God’s design: the loving union between one man and one woman for the mutual benefit of the two who have become one flesh and any children born of their union. Redefining marriage confuses the true purpose and meaning of marriage. An act deliberately ensuring that more children will grow up motherless or fatherless is not an act of love. The Oregon Catholic Conference will continue to uphold the true meaning of marriage and advocate for genuine marriages and families in Oregon, and it urges all people of good will to continue to reject the flawed notion that a pairing of two people of the same gender constitutes a marriage.