Free Republic

The drive for same sex marriage stalled in New Hampshire over insistence by Governor John Lynch that the legislation must include strong protections for religious institutions and individuals who oppose such unions. This tactic – now adopted by gay marriage advocates across the country – may provide office holders with political cover but will offer very little legal security for defenders of traditional marriage. Legislative “conscience” provisions won’t survive lawsuits by agitators or judgments by activist jurists. If gay marriage is a fundamental human and constitutional “right,” then how could faith-based groups or religious individuals legally discriminate against the exercise...

CONCORD, N.H. - Gov. John Lynch said Thursday he will sign a bill to make his state the sixth to legalize gay marriage as soon as the Legislature makes some changes, which legislative leaders immediately said they would back. Lynch asked that the already-approved legislation be revised to better protect churches and their employees against lawsuits if their beliefs preclude them from marrying gays. Gay marriage supporters said they do not object. "Throughout history, our society’s views of civil rights have constantly evolved and expanded," Lynch told reporters. "New Hampshire’s great tradition has always been to come down on the...

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Conservative Christian groups are urging a boycott of two of consumer product maker Procter & Gamble's key products, charging the company is aligning itself with gay rights groups, according to a published report. The New York Times said Friday that James Dobson of Focus on the Family and the Rev. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association are angry at P&G for a statement on the company's internal Web site opposing an anti-gay rights statute in its hometown of Cincinnati. The law exempts gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection. The two influential conservatives charge...

VATICAN CITY (AP) - In his latest blunt assessment of U.S. society, Pope John Paul II on Friday denounced the acceptance of abortion and same-sex unions as ``self-centered demands'' erroneously depicted as human rights. The pontiff said that ``in the face of such erroneous yet pervasive thinking,'' visiting U.S. bishops should stress to congregations ``their special responsibility for evangelizing culture and promoting Christian values in society and public life.'' ``Rights are at times reduced to self-centered demands: the growth of prostitution and pornography in the name of adult choice, the acceptance of abortion in the name of women's rights, the...

Sunday, March 14, 2004 Same Sex Marriages In New Jersey By KYW's Ed Kasuba With same-sex marriages back in the news in New Jersey, a law professor at Rutgers-Camden says it will be interesting to see how the courts rule on the issues raised by Asbury Park. Asbury Park performed one same-sex marriage, then stopped when the state attorney general said the ceremony was illegal. Law professor Sally Goldfarb says even though a judge in Mercer County has ruled same sex marriages are not legal, another judge could rule differently: "New Jersey laws, unlike that of many other states, does...