LDS Church supports gay-marriage bans

Official stand does not back specific amendments

LDS Church leaders Wednesday took an official stand in the politically charged debate over same-sex marriage, issuing a statement that a church spokesman said supports state and federal efforts to constitutionally ban gay marriages.

The statement issued by the church's governing First Presidency reads: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints favors a constitutional amendment preserving marriage as the lawful union of a man and a woman."

While the statement said the church isn't endorsing a specific amendment, spokesman Michael Otterson said it shows support of all proposed constitutional amendments banning gay marriages.

The church statement comes just days before Monday's scheduled debate in the U.S. Senate on the Federal Marriage Amendment (SJR 30), which would constitutionally define marriage as "the union of a man and a woman."

The proposed Musgrave-Allard amendment would federally ban gay marriage and would not allow states to be required to recognize other domestic unions. It would need two-thirds of the votes in each the House and Senate before going to the states for ratification.

In Utah, voters in November will decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriages and prevent other domestic relationships from being given the same "legal effect" as marriage. In addition to the proposed constitutional change, state legislators also defined marriage by statute.

Church sources said the timing of the statement indicates LDS leadership wanted to express its general support for traditional marriage, without endorsing a specific amendment. The sources said the church wanted to avoid the political debate and not get involved in the semantics of specific legislation.

While the church's statement clearly backs both proposed constitutional amendments, Scott McCoy, head of the Don't Amend Alliance, which is opposed to the state Amendment Three, said it's telling that the LDS statement did not endorse any specific amendment.

"I don't think this is a setback for our campaign," McCoy said. "Our campaign has said all along that this isn't about the traditional definition of marriage."

He said in addition to banning same-sex marriages, the state amendment would prevent same-sex couples from rights such as inheritance, adoption and health insurance.

"We're still planning on sitting down with the church and explaining why, in spite of the fact they may be in favor of the traditional definition of marriage . . . this amendment goes too far, and has real consequences for families in Utah," McCoy said. Utah Sens. Orrin G. Hatch and Bob Bennett, both Republicans, have said they support the proposed constitutional amendment. They, and other supporters, say it's necessary to protect marriage from court rulings such as one in Massachusetts that allowed same-sex couples to marry.

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