Three local State senators switched their votes from “No” to “Yes” on the subject of same-sex marriage, putting much of the Church’s social ministry in jeopardy.
Sens. Joseph Addabbo and Shirley Huntley of Queens and Sen. Carl Kruger of Brooklyn made their last minute U-turns in the midst of dramatic politicial arm-twisting as the possibility of a vote on the issue loomed in the state legislature.
As The Tablet goes to press, the outcome of the proposed legislation to permit men to marry men and women to marry women is still uncertain. But the defection of the three Democratic legislators put additional pressure on Republicans to bring the measure to the floor of the Senate before it adjourns for the summer on Monday.
The Assembly was certain to vote in favor and Gov. Andrew Cuomo was a vigorous proponent of the measure.
Politicians have framed their argument in terms of civil rights, ignoring the implications that the law would have on religious freedom and the work of Catholic charitable work such as foster care and adoption services.
At a news conference on Monday, when the legislators announced their reversals, Gov. Cuomo was asked about the possibility of a religious exemption. He curtly responded, “No!”
When pressed on the consequences on religious freedom, he replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The New York State Catholic Conference has raised the religious liberty issue.
During a telephone interview with Currents, the daily news show seen on The NET, Dennis Poust, communications director of the Catholic Conference, said that the lack of a religious exeption is “very troubling.”
“We’ve made it perfectly clear about the religious liberty implications,” he said.
He explained that even private businesses, such as Knights of Columbus councils that lease halls for weddings would be threatened to violate their religious beliefs or go out of business if they did not adhere to the law.
On his blog, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York wrote, “Our country’s founding principles speak of rights given by God, not invented by government, and certain noble values – life, home, family, marriage, children, faith – that are protected, not re-defined, by a state presuming omnipotence.”
Despite the fact that Cuomo added a religious exemption at the last minute, the Catholic Conference says it does not go as far as in other states and that the bishops still oppose the bill on principle.
A Terrible Disservice
The three legislators who switched their votes this week have done a terible disservice, not only to their constituents, but also to society by refusing to stand on principle and instead wait to see which way the political wind was blowing.
In his column this week (Page 4), Bishop DiMarzio says that politicians should be held accountable by the voters for the way they vote.
These pols say they have relied on their own polls of their people. You can make a poll say whatever you want it to say. Walk down the streets of their neighborhoods and you’ll see families with moms, dads and children. That’s the core of their communities and they’ve misrepresented them.
Republicans wavering on the fence as to how they’ll vote threaten the very soul of their party. A few more switcheroos by Republicans and there will be very little choice for the voters at the ballot box.
Politically speaking, State Conservative Party Mike Long appeared on Currents on Tuesday and made it clear that his party would not support any Republican who voted for same-sex marriage. That very well could cost the Republicans their majority in the State Senate.
Our lawmakers in Albany have almost completely sold out to financially well-healed special interests. Even those we had come to rely on to protect human values have failed us. They should be repudiated. The next time you see one of these folks at your parish for an event, let them know what you thought of their idea to change the legal definition of marriage. We need to defend the traditional definition of marriage.
One of the founding principles of our nation was freedom to believe in one’s religion. The environment seems to have grown hostile. The battle over same-sex marriage is simply the next chapter.