A new group announced Thursday says it
will work to ensure that New Jersey does not become the 14th
state to legalize gay marriage.
The New Jersey State Council Knights of
Columbus, the New Jersey Family Policy Council, the New Jersey
Catholic Conference, New Jersey Family First, League of American
Families and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) have united
to create the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve and Protect Marriage.
The issue in New Jersey is being
debated both in the Legislature, where supporters are looking to
override Governor Chris Christie's 2012 veto of a marriage bill, and
the courts, where a judge has ruled that the state must allow gay
couples to marry beginning October 21. Christie, a Republican, has
appealed the ruling to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
“We are confident that the
administration will prevail in its appeal,” Don Sico with the New
Jersey Catholic Conference told reporters
attending a press conference at the State House in Trenton. “We
are equally confident that proponents of same-sex marriage will be
unable to muster the necessary two-thirds votes to prevail on the
override. In fact, we will work very hard in the days and weeks
ahead to make sure they do not. It is one of the reasons our
coalition has been formed.”
Jim White, who is with the Knights of
Columbus, insisted that including gay couples in marriage would lead
to the legalization of plural marriage.
“Keep in mind that the issue under
discussion is marriage not homosexuality,” White said. “If
same-sex marriage should become legal, other groups currently barred
from marriage will ask to marry. There will be demands for [the]
legalization of polygamy, polyandry, group marriage and marriage even
between siblings.”
The group said that the issue should be
put to a public vote.
(Related: Third
New Jersey Assembly Republican comes out for gay marriage.)