Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill on Thursday that legalized same-sex marriages, leaving the voters in California to decide next year whether same-sex marriage should be allowed.
Schwarzenegger who said earlier this month that he would veto the bill, said according to the Associated Press, "This bill simply adds confusion to a constitutional issue."
He added that the bill contradicted Proposition 22, which was approved by voters in 2000 that says marriage is between a man and a woman, and said that the law could not be changed by another one.
He also said that the state appeals court considered whether the state ban on gay marriage was constitutional, and said that the case would be decided most likely by the Supreme Court.
"If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional this bill is not necessary," he said according to AP. "If the ban is constitutional this bill is ineffective."
Eddie Gutierrez, a spokesman for Equality California, a gay rights group said "We are extremely disappointed with the governor's decision," he told AP, "by denying us marriage equality he has turned a back to our community."
Meanwhile, the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), a pro-life organization working to protect the definition of marriage and families, applauded Schwarzenegger for vetoing the bill.
Randy Thomasson, president of CCF said, "We thank Governor Schwarzengger for doing the right thing by vetoing 'gay marriage' licenses."
"But long-term, there's no way to protect God's sacred institution of marriage for one man and one woman unless Californians qualify and pass the VoteYesMarriage.com initiative on next year's ballot," Thomasson said.
The initiative protects the rights of married couples and defines marriage as between one man and one woman, whether in the state of California or elsewhere.
Chinese churches are also cooperating with CCF to seek a state-wide referendum of over million signatures by the end of Nov, which they will submit to the state of California early next year, so that it can be placed before voters in June.
"It is our desperate prayer and hope that the Lord will have mercy upon the people in California and that they will vote against homosexual marriage or same-sex marriage or they will uphold traditional marriage," President of Great Commission Center International Rev. Thomas Wang said.
Right now in the United States, Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex marriage, with Vermont and Connecticut as the only states that allow civil unions.
