"The Iowa marriage law was simple, settled and overwhelmingly supported by Iowans," said Douglas Napier, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. "There was simply no legitimate reason for the court to redefine marriage."

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst at Focus on the Family Action, said the ruling took his breath away.

"The justices brazenly asserted that their role was not only to redefine marriage, but also to legislate whatever new social agenda they favored, 'free from the influences' of a society resistant to such change," he said. "Such an admission is breathtaking in its arrogance and scope."

Tony Perkins, president of FRC Action, called on Iowa to join the 30 states that have amended their constitutions to protect marriage.

"We need to remember that the marriage-amendment movement has been many times more successful than the same-sex 'marriage' movement," he said. "We urge Iowans to contact their legislators and urge them to move quickly to pass a constitutional amendment protecting marriage.

"We hope the Legislature will heed the powerful swell of statewide support for an amendment and reclaim from the High Court its rightful place as the state's policy-making body."

• In Vermont, marriage advocates remained hopeful after the House failed to get the votes needed to override a promised veto of same-sex "marriage" legislation.

Gov. James Douglas has pledged to veto S. 115, which passed the House with a 95-52 vote and had already cleared the Senate in a 26-4 vote. One hundred House votes were needed to push the legislation through.

Reprinted from www.citizenlink.com