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Texas Catholic Bishops Support Same Sex Marriage Appeal

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Texas Roman Catholic Bishops, in conjunction with the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, have thrown their legal support behind the effort to reinstate the same sex marriage ban in Texas.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has appealed a decision to reverse the ban, which was approved by voters in 2005.

Catholic Bishops said in a statement they hope the U.S. 5th Court of Appeals will objectively review the case and "affirm the right of the people of Texas to continue to upholding marriage as a union between one man and one woman."

U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia declared the state law unconstitutional in February, but allowed Texas to keep enforcing its ban pending an appeal.

After filing the appeal, a spokesperson from Abbott's office said that the case wasn't about whether Texas should allow gay marriage, but ``about the question of who decides.'' It said Texas voters approved the referendum by large margins and deserved to decide whether to keep it.

It also argued that Texas has an interest in promoting opposite-sex marriages and reducing ``societal costs.''

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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