He said it makes sense to do the same to stop the spread of same-sex marriage. He added, "I think the federal government and the people of the United States have an interest in having a marriage definition that is consistent across the nation."

Leahy and other Democrats argued that the Defense of Marriage Act and similar laws passed by 40 states adequately ensure that states will not be forced to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. But Hatch and Romney said they couldn't say if courts would uphold them and guessed that many would not.

Even if those laws are upheld, Romney said other sticky issues remain: "Does DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) suggest that people legally married in Massachusetts will have their marriage dissolved by going across state lines? I don't think that is going to happen."

Romney said traditional marriage is worth defending as essential for the nurturing and development of children.

"Were generations that spanned thousands of years from all the civilizations of the world wrong about marriage? Are the philosophies and teachings of all the world's religions simply wrong? Or is it more likely that four people among the seven that sat in a court in Massachusetts have erred? I believe that is the case," Romney said.

Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., a prime sponsor of an amendment to protect traditional marriage, also testified.

Certain "moral propositions" such as traditional marriage and family "are so fundamental that they deserve to be protected by our fundamental law when they come under attack," Musgrave said.

But former Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., an ultra-conservative who is teaming with the liberal American Civil Liberties Union to oppose the amendment, said, "We meddle with the Constitution to our own peril." He warned that it should not be used to "impose publicly contested social policies."

He added, "Not cluttering the Constitution and not setting the precedent that it can be changed to promote a particular ideology is doubly important for us conservatives."

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