Sacramento, Calif., Sep 12, 2010 / 16:19 pm
A California bill which changes all legal references to “marriage” to say “civil marriage” should be vetoed, the California Catholic Conference has advocated. While the bill purports to protect religious ministers from being forced to perform same-sex “marriages,” the conference says the legislation creates confusion and ignores true threats to religious freedom.
Democratic state representative Mark Leno's SB 906 “does not accomplish anything except create more confusion about marriage laws in California,” the conference’s Catholic Legislative Network (CLN) said in a Sept. 8 “Action Alert.”
The alert argued that all state law is already civil. “Why place the word ‘civil’ in civil law?” it asked.
The conference added that supporters of the bill recognize that the state cannot create or change religious practices.