By LISA LEFF and PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press Writers Lisa Leff And Paul Elias, Associated Press Writers
SAN FRANCISCO – A judge struck down California's same-sex marriage ban as an unconstitutional violation of gay couples' civil rights, but a pending appeal of the landmark ruling could prevent gay weddings from resuming in the state any time soon.
Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the voter-approved ban known as Proposition 8 Wednesday, declaring that limiting marriage to a man and a woman serves no legitimate purpose and is an "artifact" rooted in "unfounded stereotypes and prejudices."
"Rather than being different, same-sex and opposite-sex unions are, for all purposes relevant to California law, exactly the same," Walker wrote in an unequivocal and strongly worded 136-page ruling. "The evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples."
The whole argument should have been trashed years ago. Our Constitution requires a separation of Church and State. Special religious interests are constantly attempting to regulate moral issues that offend their particular beliefs; same sex marriage is just one of those issues.
ReplyDeleteOur government needs to get out of the Morals business, eliminate all crimes without victims and concentrate on trade, defense, environmental issues and the protection of citizens from criminals.
If your church does not approve of same sex marriages, then do not perform them in it.
The laws of the land belong to people from a variety of religious backgrounds. The only way our laws can be fair is to keep one specific group from legislating its beliefs into law.