On June 10, 2014, the Clerk of the Orphan’s Court of Schuylkill County, Theresa Santai Gaffney, filed a motion to intervene in the Whitewood v. Wolf court case that declared unconstitutional the law defining marriage between one man and one woman. Gaffney is seeking intervention
Judge John E. Jones, III, a federal district court judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, declared this week that Pennsylvania’s Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, is unconstitutional. He also ruled that Pennsylvania must recogniz
The state legislature has returned to session after the summer break. Many priorities dominate the legislative agenda, but one bill poses serious concerns about religious liberty. House Bill 300 and Senate Bill 300 would add “gender identity or expression” and “sexual orientation” to
The U.S. Supreme Court announced its decisions today for two cases addressing same-sex marriage. Supporters of gay marriage are calling them significant but incomplete. Supporters of traditional marriage are calling it tragic, but not a total loss for supporters of states’ rights. The
Pennsylvania’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is facing a constitutional challenge in Federal Court in Philadelphia. Attorneys for a lesbian woman who was “married” to her partner in Canada have petitioned the court to declare Pennsylvania’s marriage law to be unconstitutional. (COZEN
A group of scholars recently released a study called “Why Marriage Matters: Thirty Conclusions from the Social Sciences.” The study found that while divorce rates have decreased, instability in families has greatly increased. Here are the conclusions of the study:
On February 23, 2011, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following from Anthony R. Picarello, Jr. of the Office of General Counsel: “Marriage has been understood for millennia and across cultures as the union of one man and one woman. Today, the President has
Leaders of some of the largest religious communities in the United States have come together to express their commitment toward the protection of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In an open letter released today, entitled “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment
Health care reform. Abortion. Adoption. Gay marriage. Education. These are among top issues tracked by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) in the 2009-2010 legislative session. What happened and where do we go from here?
Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, decried the August 4 decision of a federal judge to overturn California voters’ 2008 initiative that protected marriage as the union of one man and one woman.