Family Watchdog Warns CA Measure Paves Path for 'Polygamy, Child Marriage'

California lawmakers are looking to fundamentally alter the definition of marriage in their state, setting their sights on the November elections where voters can approve the right for polygamous marriage, child marriage, and incestuous relationships, according to a state watchdog group. 

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 (ACA 5) or the "Freedom to Marry" initiative passed in the California House and Senate last year. 

Now voters will be able to decide whether they want to permanently change the definition of marriage in the state's constitution. In 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8 adding to the state constitution that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

If the new measure receives majority approval from voters, then it will erase the language that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

While a coalition of left-leaning groups, including Equality California, plan to launch a statewide campaign to secure the passage of the measure, the California Family Council is warning voters that approving ACA 5 "opens the floodgates to disaster."

"We are deeply concerned about the implications of ACA 5 for families and children in California," stated Jonathan Keller, president of CFC. "The absence of any clear definition of marriage is alarming and paves the way for the legalization of polygamy, child marriage, and incestuous relationships. Social science confirms that stable, traditional marriages are vital for the well-being of children and society."

ACA 5 was authored by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). 

Wiener has previously introduced legislation that would give power to state courts to take "temporary emergency jurisdiction" of children if they come to California for transgender drugs, surgery, or mental healthcare.  

The Democratic assemblymember said he introduced that measure to "fight" what he called "brutal attacks on transgender children" in states that have banned minors from receiving sterilizing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries.
 
But CBN News has reported on highly publicized cases of California teens who transitioned and now say they regret the procedures they have undergone including Chloe Cole who later destransitioned.

"I was approved for a double mastectomy, all by the age of 15," she testified before the California State Senate. "Who here really believes I should have had my healthy breasts removed or that should have been an option?" she questioned. "How many more children's bodies will be destroyed before you actually listen?"

CFC is warning that ABA5 will have a similar effect on children, destroying their lives en masse. 

"Tragically, this latest initiative centers family life around the desires of adults rather than the rights of children," CFC said in a released statement. 

So far, the legislation has been approved in San Francisco and Berkley, California. Similar legislation is also on the table in Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to NPR.

"If ACA 5 is approved, it is likely that similar policies will spread across the state, fundamentally altering the social fabric and posing significant risks to the well-being of families and children," CFC warned.

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