On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case, which will determine if Proposition 8 – the 2008 ballot initiative protecting traditional marriage in California – is constitutional or not.
Their decision will have grave implications for the entire nation. A decision against Prop 8 would set a precedent for overturning the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and any other state restrictions on same-sex ‘marriage.’ A separate case concerning DOMA is set to be heard the following day.
As the justices begin their deliberations on what has become a defining issue of our time, supporters of traditional marriage are planning to march on the Court. The “March for Marriage,” which will take place on Tuesday March 26, is being organized by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).
Thomas Peters, spokesman for NOM, says the March will start at the National Mall, then proceed to the Supreme Court building and back.
“The purpose [of the march]is to show that the American people are strongly supportive of the only institution that ties mothers and fathers to their children and vice versa,” said Peters. “[W]e’ve got a large coalition of African-American pastors, of pro-family organizations [and]various other church groups.”
One of those organizations is Human Life International (HLI), a Catholic group that fights for traditional marriage and pro-life, pro-family causes worldwide.
“Human Life International is proud to participate in this historic March for Marriage,” said HLI president Fr. Shenan Boquet. “Twice in the last month we have seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets and march to defend marriage in Paris and in Puerto Rico. At these marches, Christians stood shoulder to people of other faiths, and even those who profess no faith, to defend marriage between one man and one woman against those who would redefine marriage to suit their own lifestyle.”
Said Boquet, “This natural union [traditional marriage]is what creates stable families for children, and is the underpinning of society. This is an issue of natural law and the most basic natural institution.”
“We hope friends and supporters of Human Life International will be able to join us on the National Mall in a strong showing support for marriage and for our brothers and sisters in the United States and around the world who are persecuted for holding to their faith and proclaiming that marriage can only be understood as the sacred union between one man and one woman.”
TFP Student Action, a group of college students participating in the march, called the Hollingsworth v. Perry case “the Roe v. Wade moment of marriage in America.”
Every year for the last forty years, on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, pro-lifers have marched on Washington on the same path the marriage supporters will take. Marriage supporters are hoping this will be the only time they have to make such a march.
For more information about the March for Marriage, click here.
