Some religious conservatives worry the amendment could leave the door open to civil unions. But Paul Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, recently sent a memo urging conservative activists to get onboard. “I don’t think anything much stronger can pass,” he says. Some 30 social conservatives met in Washington last week to plot strategy. With more pro-marriage lawsuits in the works, the group plans to lobby for the amendment regardless of the decision. So far, gay-rights activists think they have the votes to kill the effort in the Senate. But both sides admit all bets are off if Massachusetts issues gay-marriage licenses. “If [it] goes ahead,” says American Values president Gary Bauer, “everything will be on fast forward.”
