By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Thanks to the efforts of the Iowa Catholic Conference, voters in Iowa will be able to voice their opinion about marriage on a November 2 ballot after being shut out of the decision by the state’s Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage last year.
According to KCAUTV, church officials from the state’s four Roman Catholic dioceses are asking voters to support a November 2 ballot question which would require a constitutional convention that could eventually lead to a vote on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
“We feel that what most of the people want is to have it as a ballot issue on the constitutional convention and eventually become an amendment on the constitution,” said Bishop Walker Nickless.
If a constitutional convention does take place, it would be the first since 1920, and would be considered an important first step in the fight to ban same sex marriage.
“Then it would be up to the legislature to appoint the delegates to the convention and then all kinds of bills and all kinds of amendments can be presented,” Bishop Nickless added.
The move is appealing to many Iowans who feel that same-sex marriage was thrust upon them by activists in the judiciary who issued a unanimous decision on April 3, 2009 to strike down a state law that defines marriage as one man and one woman. Claiming it violates the state’s constitution, the decision made Iowa the third state in the nation to recognize same sex marriage.
Iowa’s Catholic bishops have been fighting the decision ever since.
“This decision rejects the wisdom of thousands of years of human history. It implements a novel understanding of marriage, which will grievously harm families and children,” the bishops said in a statement prepared by the Iowa Catholic Conference shortly after the decision was rendered.
At the time, they vowed to continue to protect marriage and family, and their latest initiative proves that this is a promise they are determined to keep.
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