Three years ago, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that same-sex unions (referred to by some as "marriages") were legal in the State. Yesterday, Gov. Mitt Romney announced he would ask the State's highest court to put a question banning same-sex "marriage" onto the ballot if the state legislature fails to take up the question by Jan. 2, final day of their legislative session. On Nov. 9, by voting to recess until Jan. 2, the state legislature, for all intents and purposes, essentially killed a citizen-sponsored amendment-supported by the State's Catholic bishops-that would have allowed voters to define marriage. Governor Romney has stated his opposition to same-sex "marriage" and has arguably done everything he could within his powers as governor to assure that this matter be settled in the state by a real exercise of the democratic process. He said yesterday: "The issue now before us is not whether same-sex couples should marry. The issue before us today is whether 109 legislators will follow the Constitution." You can get the full text of his comments here.

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Fr. Thomas Berg is Executive Director of the Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person.