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No, the federal government needs a definition of marriage so it can determine who is eligible for federal benefits like SS, Medicare, Medicaid, federal pensions, etc. DOMA was passed because some of the states were deciding that gay marriage was the same as marriage between a man and a woman. Here is what DOMA said:

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.

(a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 1 of title 1, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

`Sec. 7. Definition of `marriage' and `spouse'

`In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word `marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word `spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.'.

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT- The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 1 of title 1, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 6 the following new item:

`7. Definition of `marriage' and `spouse'.'.

Those are all State laws. You do know how this whole Federal Republic thing works right?

I know how it works and how DOMA addressed it:

SEC. 2. POWERS RESERVED TO THE STATES.

(a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 115 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 1738B the following:

`Sec. 1738C. Certain acts, records, and proceedings and the effect thereof

`No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship.'

The bottomline is that DOMA didn't open up a can of worms. It was a reaction to the few states that decided to change the definition of marriage for their own citizens and wanted every other state to recognize such marriage for the federal government to provide benefits on whatever definition the states decided it to be.