    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [November 18, 2003]
    [Page 1572]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Decision on the
    State's Ban of Same Sex Marriages
    November 18, 2003

        Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. Today's
    decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court violates this
    important principle. I will work with congressional leaders and others
    to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage.