GOV. CORBETT QUITS FIGHT AGAINST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

(L to R) Rev. Michael Ruk of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, New Hope Councilwoman Geri Delevich and Ted Martin, head of Equality PA (Photo: S. Casano)

By Charlie Sahner

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said Wednesday he will not fight a Tuesday court ruling striking down the state’s ban against same-sex marriage.

“Given the high legal threshold set forth by Judge Jones in this case, the case is extremely unlikely to succeed on appeal,” Gov. Tom Corbett said in a press statement. “After review of the opinion and on the advice of my Commonwealth legal team, I have decided not to appeal Judge Jones’ decision.”

Executive Director of Equality PA Ted Martin reacted to the Governor’s decision:
“We sincerely thank Gov. Corbett for allowing this judgment to stand. Words cannot express what this means to the loving couples and families in Pennsylvania who have waited so long to be recognized. Marriage matters to all families, and we rejoice with them today.

“We also understand that what matters is not that we share the exact same beliefs with everyone in the commonwealth, but that we respect each others differences and treat everyone equally. That is why we appreciate what Gov. Corbett did today and we hope that we will be able to work together to continue to build bridges of understanding. Thank you for letting love win,” concluded Martin.