The Illinois House today passed Senate Bill 10 on a 61-54 vote, with two voting "present." The Senate approved the legislation on Feb. 14, 2013. Gov. Pat Quinn has said he will sign the legislation into law.
(View the House roll call here.)
SB 10 changes the state's definition of marriage from "between a man and a woman" to "between two persons" and offers scant religious freedom protections to churches, religious employers and organizations, businesses and individuals.
Following is the statement of the Catholic Conference of Illinois. Click here to read it in PDF. Read it in Spanish here.
Statement of Catholic Conference of Illinois
on House Passage of Redefinition of Marriage Legislation (SB 10)
CHICAGO – Today’s decision by Illinois lawmakers to change the definition of marriage not only goes against the common consensus of the human race – which understands that nature tells us that marriage is the union of one man and one woman – but it also undermines an institution that is the cornerstone of a healthy society. The optimal condition in which to raise children is a home that includes both a mother and father, since women and men are not interchangeable.
The Catholic Conference of Illinois is deeply disappointed that members of the General Assembly chose to redefine what is outside of its authority: a natural institution like marriage. We remain concerned about the very real threats to religious liberty that are at stake with the passage of this bill.
We thank the thousands of citizens across Illinois who joined us in our efforts to preserve marriage in law. This was a truly bipartisan and ecumenical effort, reflective of the fact that a marriage is universally understood as being between a man and a woman.
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