Same Sex Marriage
Maryland Action Alert
Marriage between man and woman is not simply a religious belief, nor is it a social prejudice - it is a natural limitation that can be recognized by all. While all persons have dignity and rights that should be respected in law, the state has an interest in marriage between man and woman because of its unique ability to foster new generations. - MarylandCatholicConference
There is one week left to ask Gov. Martin O'Malley to veto two bills that undermine the institution of marriage by granting marriage equivalency to unmarried couples in the health and tax statutes. The bills were not signed by the governor on May 13, but neither were they vetoed. The next bill signing is Thursday, May 22. A veto is necessary to prevent the bills from becoming law.
Maryland Gov signs two domestic partnership bills MD Catholic Conference opposed
O'Malley, who supports creating a civil unions law that has yet to find enough support in the Maryland General Assembly, said he believed the bills help address "inequities and unfairness" against committed couples who are not married, including gay couples.
"Without the ability to have the legal protections that say, a civil unions statute would give, then these other bills, will, I suspect, continue to come through the legislature and continue to be approved by the legislature ..." O'Malley said.
But the bills rankled opponents of gay marriage who believe legal marriage should only be recognized between a man and a woman.
Richard Dowling, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, criticized the governor's decision to sign the bills. Dowling said the laws put Maryland "on the road to becoming California East," referring to a state that started with similar bills and later expanded beyond health care and taxation.
Dowling also said the bills' definition of domestic partnerships "not only gives same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples a status equivalent to marriage, it also is so broad and ambiguous that it can be extended to the most casual of relationships."
"This flies in the face of religious traditions that exalt marriage and regard it as sacramental," Dowling said. read more wtop
Urgent Request from Maryland Catholic Conference
May 5, 2008
Two bills that undermine the institution of marriage by granting marriage equivalency to unmarried couples in the health and tax statutes could become law as soon as May 13 unless they are vetoed by Gov. Martin O'Malley.
SB 566 and SB 597, while well intentioned, are seriously problematic. Under the bills, any two people - same-sex, or of opposite sexes - can gain state recognition as domestic partners if they jointly rent a car, jointly rent an apartment, and sign an affidavit that they are in an "interdependent" relationship. There is no requirement that the affidavit be filed with any agency, or even notarized. Domestic partnerships can be dissolved merely by signing another affidavit. SB 566 and SB 597 allow those domestic partnerships to be treated the same as marriages in parts of the health and tax statutes.
SB 566 grants medical decision-making rights to domestic partners. However, those benefits are already available to ALL couples in Maryland through advance directives and powers of attorney. SB 597 exempts domestic partners and former domestic partners from recordation and transfer taxes.
Contact Governor O'Malley
email Gov. O"Malley
Telephone: 410.974.3901 • 1.800.811.8336 • MD Relay 1.800.735.2258
Take Action: SB 566 equates unmarried couples with married couples
Act now and ask your senator to oppose SB 566 The full Senate is expected to vote within days on a bill that would equate unmarried couples, both same-sex and heterosexual, with married couples and undermine the current legal status of marriage. Please take action now and ask your senator to oppose SB 566.
Senate Bill 566 defines "domestic partnership" as a relationship between two persons who are 18 or older and not related by blood or marriage, and who agree to a relationship of "mutual interdependence." The two persons can be of the same sex, or opposite sexes. "A person who asserts a domestic partnership . . . may be required to provide proof of any two of (eleven listed) documents," including joint liability for a leased apartment and the joint lease of a motor vehicle.
Senate Bill 566 creates a new definition in law of domestic partnerships, giving domestic partners equal status as married couples in the Health statute. The bill undermines the current legal status of marriage, and is not necessary to grant medical decision-making rights to unmarried couples.
The General Assembly already passed a law in 2006 (Senate Bill 369) that ensures advance directives are readily available to guarantee the ability to appoint medical decision-making and hospital visitation rights. The newly revised advance directive is FREE, available ONLINE here from the Attorney General's office , and explicitly grants rights to ride in an ambulance or visit a partner in the hospital.
To read more background information on marriage, please click here. To take action and ask your senator to oppose SB 566, please click the "take action" link.
Hearing Date: February 14, 2008
Maryland Catholic Conference Calls For Action on Marriage Bills
On Thursday, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will consider a variety of marriage-related bills, several that seek to preserve traditional marriage and several that would radically alter its legal definition. Please take action now and ask your senator to recognize the vital role that traditional marriage plays in society. A statement on marriage by the Maryland bishops and further information on the Church's position are available.
Courts around the country, including in Maryland, have recognized this reality by upholding laws that preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. "Safeguarding an environment most conducive to the stable propagation and continuance of the human race is a legitimate government interest," Maryland's high court said in its 2007 marriage decision, Conaway vs. Deane. But because the court also recognized the ability of Maryland's General Assembly to change the definition of marriage if it chooses to do so, there will be many bills introduced this year to both protect and undermine traditional marriage in the state.
Three such bills will be heard by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on February 14:
SB 290, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, would legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland. The Conference opposes this legislation, which has a misleading title, because it alters the legal definition of marriage.
SB 689 would abolish all civil marriage in Maryland and replace marriage with "domestic partnerships" for all couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual. The Conference opposes this legislation because it alters the legal definition of marriage.
SB 169, Maryland's Marriage Protection Act, is a constitutional amendment to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. SB 169 would prevent additional constitutional challenges to the state's marriage law, and would need approval by voters in a statewide referendum. The Conference supports this legislation.
(Maryland Catholic Conference)Take Action: Contact your Senator