California Voter Initiative to Protect Marriage Filed
A voter initiative for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was filed at the California Attorney General’s office on Thursday.
A voter initiative for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was filed at the California Attorney General’s office on Thursday.
Titled “The Voters’ Right to Protect Marriage Initiative,” the measure would define marriage as a union “protected for one man and one woman.” The initiative comes one week after two marriage amendment bills failed to receive approval in their respective legislative committees.
The initiative was filed by VoteYesMarriage.com, a coalition for marriage protection in California. They and other pro-family groups seek to place the marriage amendment on the 2006 ballot.
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An organizer for VoteYesMarriage.com, Randy Thomasson stressed the importance of the new marriage initiative.
“This vitally-important ballot initiative empowers average Californians to stop the insanity of judges and politicians flushing our precious vote on marriage down the drain,” said Thomasson.
Earlier this year, a San Francisco judge ruled the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. The ruling stood in violation of Proposition 22 - a law overwhelmingly approved by California voters in 2000 to define marriage as that between a man and a woman. The judge continues to affirm the decision while the case is being appealed.
Three weeks ago, a state legislative committee approved a bill that will ease restrictions on same-sex marriage in California. The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would delete the words “a man and a woman” from state marriage laws.
The marriage initiative would prohibit the granting of marriage rights to same-sex couples, but would not regulate individuals’ rights or the rights of private entities to award benefits to same-sex couples.
Proponents of the initiative are calling for donations to fund the efforts to collect one million signatures. Petitions are expected to be available in July.
