Contact: Kathleen Domingo, Catholics for the Common Good, 213-291-3580

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 7, 2011 / Christian Newswire/ -- In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Catholics for the Common Good (CCG), President, William B. May cautioned the Senators that voting to repeal DOMA is "a statement that the government has no interest in the only institution that promotes that children be raised by their mothers and fathers."

"In fact, if marriage is redefined to accommodate 'equality' for same-sex couples, by definition, it becomes discriminatory to promote the imperative of marriage between a man and a woman as critical to the rights and well-being of their children and a well-functioning society."

"Too many children are deprived of married mothers and fathers today." Promoting marriage between a man and a woman is "a responsibility directly related to the human right of every child without exception to know and be cared for, as far as possible, by his or her mother and father. Mothers and fathers and families of origin are part of the identity of every person, and that interest must be protected by civilized society."

May reminded Senators that, "This right is expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and can be confirmed by the common desire of everyone for connection with the man and woman from whom they originated."

In a strongly worded letter to Committee members last week, Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, Chair of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, raised the same point "… changing the institution of marriage ... denies children have a fundamental human right...."

The focus on the private interests of adults in the marriage debate has long obscured the rights and interests of children. May wrote, "The interests of gay rights groups … are well known, but the reasons for protecting marriage between a man and a woman actually have nothing to with homosexuality or gay rights."

The confusion over marriage is based on two conflicting understandings of marriage. To accommodate same-sex couples, marriage has to be redefined as merely the legal recognition of committed relationships between adults. However, "Implicit in marriage as a union between a man and a woman is the reality that it also unites them with any children born from their union," May wrote. "It is a reality that … is independent of belief in God."

May challenged the Senators "to carefully consider the public interest of each of these definitions in a neutral way, without consideration of gay rights or perceived religious interests."