Testimony on HJR U — Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage
24 February 2004
House Joint Resolution U
House Committee on Children and Family Services
Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, my name is Sister Monica Kostielney and I am the president and chief executive officer of the Michigan Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in our state. Thank you for the opportunity to offer our reflections on this critically important constitutional amendment.
The Michigan Catholic Conference supports House Joint Resolution U, which further solidifies that marriage is a unique relationship between one man and one woman. We support this joint resolution because of what the Catholic Conference stands for — not whom we stand against. Marriage is a unique community defined by the union of the sexually different. What happens when a man and woman unite is something far larger than either of them individually. Contrary to what you may hear throughout the legislative process, this is not an issue of civil rights; it is a question of institutional definition.
If we look to marriage as something beyond the union of one man and one woman we essentially change the societal equation. It cuts out rationale for marriage altogether, turning it into just one more alternative lifestyle, one more partnership option, one more contract. To say otherwise is to say that marriage and married couples are not special and do not make a special and unique contribution to our human community. Marriage is essential to the continuation of the human race, to the total development of the human person, and to the dignity, stability, peace and prosperity of the family and of society.
The facts are that neither the state nor religion, Catholic or otherwise, created the institution of marriage. It cannot simply be redefined beyond what we know has always been. Just as we have learned to respect the natural ecology of our State, we should respect its societal ecology as well. Marriage is the fundamental institution of civil society. Affirming these truths about marriage does not impose religious dogma on a pluralistic society. Many faiths hold that marriage is sacred. Societies that are openly religious and those that are avowedly secular treat marriage with reverence.
Marriage is a formal commitment, made in the presence of society. Because this commitment is essential to our biological and societal future, it is preserved, protected, and prompted by the law of the State. Across times, cultures, and very different religious beliefs, marriage is the foundation of the family. The family, in turn, is the basic unit of society. Thus, marriage is a personal relationship with public significance.
In short, House Joint Resolution U only adds to statute what we as a people have already believed: that marriage is the union of one man to one woman. Now, it might be tempting to take no action and leave things they way they currently are. But the tidal wave of events across the nation has forced your hand. Unless you take affirmative action, you will be handing over the future of marriage to forces beyond your control.
The Church did not define marriage, but she will defend it. The Michigan Catholic Conference calls upon this committee and the full House to do the same by passing House Joint Resolution U.
