Senator Santorum Reacts to New Jersey Marriage Ruling

Senator Santorum Reacts to New Jersey Marriage Ruling

U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today issued the following statement responding to the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision instructing the state legislature to grant same-sex couples benefits identical to those of married couples within 180 days:

"I am disappointed in today's ruling. The decision is an affront to the democratic process. By judicial fiat, the court has taken the marriage issue out of the hands of the people. The ruling requires the state legislature to redefine marriage within a six-month timeframe. The only decision left to the democratic process is the name, whether the institution is called marriage or not.

"The decision leaves open the possibility of portability - in six months, same-sex couples could travel to New Jersey for ceremonies and return to their home states, like neighboring Pennsylvania, and sue for recognition of their same-sex unions. The court failed to protect marriage today, just as it failed to protect the democratic process. The New Jersey decision is exactly why Congress needs to send the states a federal Marriage Protection Amendment."

http://santorum.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.View&ContentRecord_id=2104&Region_id=0&Issue_id=0