N.Y. lawmakers vote against same-sex 'marriage'

'It has become clear that Americans continue to understand marriage the way it has been understood, and New York is not different in that regard'.

New York City, N.Y. (CNA) - On Wednesday Dec. 2, the New York Senate voted 38-24 against a bill to legalize same-sex 'marriage' in the state.

"We are extremely pleased that the New York State Senate in a bipartisan vote rejected the concept that marriage can be anything other than the union of one man and one woman," said Richard E. Barnes, executive director of the New York Catholic Conference on Wednesday.

"It has become clear that Americans continue to understand marriage the way it has been understood, and New York is not different in that regard," continued Barnes in a statement on the New York Catholic Conference website. "This is a victory for the basic building block of our society."

The Democratic-controlled state assembly had passed a same-sex "marriage" bill three times in the past with no difficulty but this was the first instance of it being voted on in the Senate. Though New York is politically one of the most liberal states in the U.S, a recent poll has shown the public to be split on the issue of same-sex "marriage."

"This is an enormous victory," said Maggie Gallagher, leader of the National Organization for Marriage. "What you saw was the will of the people ... The culture really hasn't shifted on gay marriage," Gallagher told Reuters on Wednesday.

---

Founded in continued response to Pope John Paul II’s call for a “New Evangelization,” the Catholic News Agency (CNA) has been, since 2004, one of the fastest growing Catholic news providers to the English speaking world.