YES: Vote to uphold sanctity of male-female union without infringing on human rights

<p>As originally written, Proposition 8 says, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The matter for consideration is marriage -- not civil rights, not same-sex psychology -- but our understanding and honoring of a privileged state in life.</p><p>What is marriage? It is the union of a man and woman that forms the basis for the generation and rearing of children. Marriage does not derive from what some religion has ordained or some society has constructed or some government has decreed. Rather, marriage is a naturally existing human institution that precedes religions and societies and governments. Such is marriage, such is its value for human beings, and such is what a vote for Proposition 8 would codify and defend in the California constitution.</p><p>What of same-gender partnerships? Are they equal to marriage? To be sure, marriage is about choice and same-gender partners exercise choice in relationship to each other. Marriage is about companionship, and the companionship of same-gender partners is verifiable. But what of complementing each other? Do same-gender partners have the same capacity for the union of two minds and hearts that a married couple has?</p><p>For certain there is not the natural fit of physical bodies in same-gender companions that there is in a married couple. With same-gender partners there is no capacity to generate children from their union, as there is with marriage. Clearly, the same-gender partnership lacks a great deal of the capacity that marriage naturally contains. Clearly, the same-gender partnership is other than marriage and is not the equivalent of marriage.</p><p>What is not debatable about same-gender partners is that California law grants them the same "rights, protections and benefits" as married couples. This in itself is a privileged status. Advertising and rumors to the contrary, a vote for Proposition 8 will not change this. Proposition 8 neither advocates nor condones any form of bias, nor does it restrict any person's ability to exercise their basic human or civil rights.</p><p>What has the California Supreme Court done that has a bearing on Proposition 8? In May, it exceeded its bounds in interpreting the state constitution and effectively nullified the express will of voters. In 2000, 61 percent of state voters passed a statute (not a constitutional amendment) with the same language as Proposition 8. By a 4-3 vote, the court overturned the vote and erroneously declared a "right" of same-gender couples to marry one another.</p><p>What has the California attorney general done regarding Proposition 8? He changed the description so that what is reflected on the ballot is not the original language, not the language that signers agreed upon in petitioning to qualify the measure for the ballot. In its qualifying language, Proposition 8 stated: "Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The attorney general changed the language to reflect the (biased) interpretation of the state Supreme Court.</p><p>What is the significance of religion in the matter of Proposition 8? It is the right and responsibility of any American to participate in the democratic process. Of course, Americans come in all shapes and (religious) denominational sizes, and some are without religious affiliation.</p><p>In my own case, I am Catholic. I know that my church -- not just in Santa Rosa but throughout California -- upholds the sanctity of marriage by urging a vote for Proposition 8. That is its prerogative, just as it is the prerogative of any group to act within the confines of the civil law in influencing the democratic process.</p><p>In my own deliberations, I am guided by my conscience and my church. I am under no constraints. The help that the church gives me is assistance in achieving (what I believe to be) a balanced, true perspective on a complex matter. For that help I am grateful. I -- a Catholic, an educator and a citizen -- intend to vote yes on Proposition 8.</p><p><em>John Collins is superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Santa Rosa.</em></p>