Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the role Catholics played in securing marriage and family rights in the election:
“Were it not for Catholics, the institutions of marriage and the family would have taken a hit in places like Arizona, Florida and California. Indeed, in Florida and California, their vote proved to be decisive.
“Arizonians rejected gay marriage by a vote of 56% to 49%, though the margin among Catholics was less—51% to 49%. In Florida, the Catholic vote proved to be controlling: overall, the ban on gay marriage won by 62% to 38%, but among Catholics it was 66% to 34%. Californians narrowly defeated gay marriage by a margin of 52% to 48%, but Catholics rejected it by an impressive 60% to 40% differential. A vote in California to support parental notification lost by 52% to 48%, but it won among Catholics by a hefty 58% to 42%.
“On both issues, Catholics and Protestants who are regular church-goers clearly supported a ban on homosexual marriage and affirmed their support for parental consent. Unmarrieds and those who don’t go to church overwhelmingly voted for the right of two men to marry; they also voted to deny mothers and fathers of their right to be notified in advance if their child is considering an abortion.
“Those who support traditional values, then, tend to be religious and married while those who sport a preference for moral relativism tend to be secular and single. The implications are clear: tax laws, and other public policy initiatives, which are both family-friendly and church-friendly, are critically important.
“Because those who reject traditional values and religion voted heavily for Barack Obama, it’s a sure bet the culture war will only get hotter. We expect to be quite busy.”
