Massachusetts News 

August 2--The Massachusetts Bar Association favors "same-sex" marriage. 

It was approved by a unanimous vote of the Board of Delegates at their meeting last month. 

One lawyer commented, "The MBA tells us that the courts in Massachusetts are all in perfect shape and need no guidance from them; therefore, they will turn their attention to the important social issues in which we need their help. 

"The next thing we know, they'll be telling us how to potty-train our children and maybe how to mow the lawn." 

However, other lawyers commented that it is tragic because there are so many lawyers who know better and disagree with the MBA, but they are afraid to speak out because they know that the federal and state governments will be used against them if they do. One of them said: 

"The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, on the state level, and the EEOC on the federal level have such great powers that a lawyer cannot afford to challenge them. Most lawyers will tell you they disagree, but they will say it very quietly -- in private." 

Even the lawyer who introduced the measure, Paula M. Carey, said that it would be "controversial," but not one delegate even spoke to the matter, much less voted against it.