Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania
On May 21, 2014, Pa. Gov. Tom Corbett announced that he would not appeal federal district Judge John Jones' May 20, 2014 decision to declare Pa.'s Marriage Law unconstitutional. Corbett's decision constitutes a colossal betrayal of marriage, the sanctity of human life, his prior pledge to defend Pa.'s Marriage Law, and his duty as Pennsylvania Governor.
Furthermore, Gov. Corbett's stated reason for not appealing, which is that an appeal is likely to lose, is not valid.
On January 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, overruled a federal district judge and the 10th U.S. Circuit, and allowed the Utah Marriage Law to remain in effect. (Use this link to view) the January 6, 2014 Wall Street Journal article about this stay.
I and many other leaders in the Pa. pro-life movement believe that Gov. Corbett's reason for failing to appeal is his belief that this failure assists his re-election. In reality, if not reversed, this failure is likely to result in his defeat.
How Should We Respond?
Other leaders in our state's pro-life movement and I held a conference call on May 22, 2014 to discuss and plan this response. I provide the following outline for this response.
1. Underlying spirit and strategy.
2. Legal efforts to appeal this decision.
3. Individual contact with Gov. Corbett.
4. Contact by key individuals.
5. Promotion of "Marriage Sunday" on June 8, 2014, which, very appropriately, is Trinity Sunday.
6. Public Witness at Gov. Corbett's Local Offices on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 11:00 AM.
7. Follow-up Conference Calls on Thursday, May 29, 2014.
8. What will be and will not be discussed on these calls.
1. Underlying Spirit and Strategy
A. The protection of marriage is a crucial pro-life issue that deserves timely and zealous action by pro-life Pennsylvanians.
B. We desire to reach June 19, 2014, (the deadline for Gov. Corbett to appeal), and be able to say that we, pro-life Pennsylvanians, did our best to persuade Gov. Corbett to appeal.
C. We should act in a spirit of humility and repentance. We believe that Gov. Corbett's betrayal on marriage is an indictment of the pro-life movement and the Church in Pa. We have proven too accepting of his poor performance as Governor ("He's at least better than…") and, thus, have earned his disdain, ("They have no other place to go…"). Our priority in responding should be as Christians, not as Republicans.
2. Legal Efforts to Appeal this Decision
The Register of Wills (ROW) (or the officer in charge of issuing marriage licenses in a county) in each of Pa.'s 67 counties very likely has legal standing to intervene and appeal this decision. We should ask the ROW in our county to agree to this intervention, which would be provided by the Pa. Family Institute.
So far representatives from the following counties have offered to seek this intervention: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Tioga, Venango and Westmoreland.
3. Individual Contact with Gov. Corbett
Please call and write, Gov. Corbett and urge him to appeal Judge Jones' decision. Gov. Corbett's contact information is 717-772-9003 (phone), 717-772-82284 (fax) and governor@pa.gov (e-mail).
4. Contact by Key Individuals
A. Clergy
Please ask the clergy in your area (including the Catholic Bishop of your Diocese) to personally contact Gov. Corbett and urge him to appeal.
B. State Legislators
Please contact your State Representative (use this link to find your State Rep and contact info) and State Senator (use this link to find your State Sen. and contact info) and
1) ask him or her to contact Gov. Corbett and urge him to appeal and
2) sign the attached letter (link for proposed letter from members of Pa. General Assembly) that requests Gov. Corbett to appeal.
5. Promotion of "Marriage Sunday" on June 8, 2014
Human life is sacred because human beings are created in God's image. God is three persons in which the love between God, the Father, and God, the Son, is God, the Holy Spirit.
The love between husband and wife, as expressed in their conjugal relationship, represents God's image because it is capable of becoming a third person. Thus, "same sex marriage" is an attack on God's image, which is an attack on the sanctity of human life.
The observance of Trinity Sunday on June 8, 2014 provides a very appropriate and timely opportunity for clergy to educate on the true nature of marriage and to urge contact with Gov. Corbett. (Use this link for flyer for this purpose)
This Sunday can also serve to promote attendance at the June 19, 2014 March for Marriage in Washington, DC, which I encourage you to attend. The National Organization for Marriage website has additional information. (For more info from National Organization for Marriage use this link)
Please ask your Bishop and Pastor to conduct such activities on this Sunday, respectively, in their Diocese or Church.
6. Public Witness at Gov. Corbett's Local Offices on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 11:00 AM
As a result of the May 22, 2014 Conference Call, these events are scheduled at each office in Erie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton from 11:00 AM - 12 noon on this day. The location of these offices is available on Gov. Corbett's website (www.governor.state.pa.us). In Philadelphia, Gov. Corbett's office is at 200 South Broad Street, which is near Walnut Street.
Please participate in these events. I plan to provide contact information for the organizer for each office in an e-mail to be sent by May 28, 2014.
7. May 29, 2014 Conference Calls
To provide necessary encouragement and planning to accomplish these tasks, we have scheduled another conference call for Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 2:00 PM and again, at 8:00 PM. These calls will last approximately 40 minutes.
Damon Owens, from Chester County, the Executive Director of The Theology of the Body Institute, and the Vice-President of the 2008 Proposition 8 Campaign in California, will likely deliver a brief exhortation and teaching as to why the pro-life movement in Pa. should zealously defend our state marriage law.
Please participate in one of these calls. The call-in number is 800-662-6992 and the passcode is 1083000#.
8. What Will and Will Not be Discussed on the May 29, 2014 Conference Call
A. We will discuss the further planning and accomplishment of these activities
B. We will discuss our views as to whether we are prepared to say, in effect, at our June 5, 2014 Public Witnesses, "We will not vote for Tom Corbett, if he does not appeal this case."
We had a preliminary discussion of this question during our May 22, 2014 Conference Call and, I believe, our response was a strong "yes."
C. We will not yet discuss our "election options" if Gov. Corbett does not appeal. These options include collecting signatures to get a third party candidate on the ballot or promoting a write-in candidate.
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