New Jersey Gov. Christie vetoes gay ‘marriage’ bill, emphasizes civil union benefits
Image via Wikipedia TRENTON, New Jersey , February 20, 2012 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) - New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoed a gay “marriage” bill hours after it passed the legislature on Friday, saying that the issue should be offered to voters in a referendum to decide. “I am adhering to what I’ve said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to the people of New Jersey to decide,” Christie said in his statement accompanying the veto. Christie emphasized that he has been “just as adamant that same-sex couples in a civil union deserve the very same rights and benefits enjoyed by married couples – as well as the strict enforcement of those rights and benefits.” Therefore, he said, the “conditional veto” would include the creation of an “Ombudsman for Civil Unions ” to increase awareness of and compliance with the civil union law. The Senate had passed a measure redefining marriage on Mo