JCRC Issues Statement on Goodridge Decision
(January 15, 2004 - Boston) At its Board of Trustees meeting last evening, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC) issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Judicial Court's ruling in Goodridge v. Dept. of Health:
Statement on Same-Sex Civil Marriage
A fundamental principle of JCRC's mission is to promote "an American society which is democratic, pluralistic and just." Accordingly, we continue to stand firmly in support of both civil rights and the separation of church and state.
Legal recognition of same-sex civil marriages has been considered and decided by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as a matter of civil rights. Denying same-sex couples the right to enter into a civil marriage creates second-class citizen status, which is unacceptable in a just and democratic society. Under federal law and the law of 48 other states, over one thousand rights, responsibilities and privileges accrue to married couples and their families exclusively. Therefore, allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions but not civil marriage falls short of the goal of equality under the law for all. While adoption of same-sex civil marriage in Massachusetts will not, in and of itself, achieve this goal, it is a necessary first step.
We acknowledge and respect the diversity of views on this issue within the Greater Boston Jewish community. Both Jewish tradition and American values recognize the importance of differing opinions and lively debate and the need for all perspectives to be heard. JCRC's historic commitment to civil rights leads us to support the right of same-sex couples and their families to enjoy liberty and equal justice under law.
We affirm the distinction between civil and religious marriage. Legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage should not and will not require clergy of any faith or denomination to perform or recognize the religious status of same-sex marriages, consistent with the separation of church and state. Incorporating religious doctrine into legislation or the Massachusetts Constitution would erode the separation of church and state, a cherished value that ensures religious liberty of the Jewish community and for people of all faiths and beliefs.
Therefore, be it RESOLVED that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston urges our elected officials to enact legislation providing for same-sex marriage, in accordance with the recent ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court in the Goodridge case.
Be it also RESOLVED that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston opposes any effort to amend the Massachusetts Constitution to bar same-sex couples from marrying, or to deny legal benefits to same-sex couples and their families.
