Maine is the site of one of the battles over same-sex marriage that is hitting the country this election season. Unlike in Washington and Maryland or even Minnesota, the push in Maine is to make same-sex marriage legal through the ballot box. Of course, the Roman Catholic Church is doing what it can in order to stop that from happening.

Doctor Angela Frank and her husband Doctor David Frank are pushing the attack on same-sex marriage on behalf of the Boston Catholic Diocese. Angela Frank stated in a meeting in Old Town, Portland that “We just need people to understand that marriage is a reality that we conform ourselves to and not the other way around. . .Marriage benefits children and the parents when it is this kind of relationship. When it’s oriented toward the future and toward children.”

Her husband blamed the media for forcing same-sex marriage on society stating “There’s a lot of noise in our society, ideological noise, all kinds of sides are trying to get an agenda across advertisers and all sorts of parties.”

The Catholic Church may be opposed to same-sex marriage, but Matt McTighe, the campaign manager for Mainers United For Marriage noted that there were some four hundred clergy over seventy-five denominations that support same-sex marriage. He stated that “There are so many people that have come to change their hearts and minds on this issue and come to se that it’s not going to harm their marriage in any way all it’s going to do is make the institution of marriage stronger.”

McTighe also said that there has been more support surfacing since the failed bid to defend marriage equality three years ago. He said “We believe that marriage really is one of the greatest stabilizing institutions our society has to offer and that’s why we think it should be encouraged, not discouraged. We really believe that it is something that makes all families stronger and that should include all families of Maine. That should include gay and lesbian families.”

The Franks, though, argue that same-sex marriage will contribute to the destruction of marriage saying “This is the stand that we have to take because all of the decay of marriage that preceded homosexual activism will be locked into stone if this agenda is carried through.”

Question One, the marriage equality initiative, includes an exemption for clergy so that they cannot be forced to perform a marriage, cannot be sued for not performing one, and that they cannot have their tax exempt status challenged for not performing a marriage.