HOLLIDAYSBURG -- At a courthouse rally Tuesday, State Sen. John Eichelberger Jr. announced he will introduce a bill today for a constitutional amendment to prevent same-sex marriage.

About 70 supporters attended.

Eichelberger's amendment would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

The amendment would forestall the possibility of a court ruling that could find a current law that protects traditional marriage unconstitutional.

The American Civil Liberties Union is hoping for such a ruling, Eichelberger told the group.

The proposal puts Eichelberger "on the wrong side of history," said Andy Hoover, legal director of ACLU Pennsylvania.

Same-sex marriage is becoming increasingly acceptable nationally, he said.

Eichelberger said studies have shown the traditional family -- flawed as it may be in practice -- is best for raising children.

Legalizing same-sex marriage would weaken it and lead little-by-little to other "models" like polygamy and pedophilia, he said.

There's nothing to worry about, Hoover said.

"What a gay couple does in the privacy of their home has nothing to do with straight couples," he said.

Gay couples mainly just want the same protections as straight ones in matters of inheritance and taxes, he said.

The amendment bill must pass both houses of the General Assembly by simple majority in two consecutive sessions, then pass referendum by simple majority at the next general election, according to Eichelberger aide Jason High.

A Constitutional amendment doesn't require the governor's signature.

Putting an amendment proposal to referendum will allow the people rather than judges to decide, said Eichelberger, who chose the courthouse on election day for the rally to highlight the choice between courts and ballot box.

Eichelberger said he's more confident about his proposal's chances in the Senate than in the House.

Hoover said the amendment bid isn't likely to go anywhere, as similar measures failed in spring 2006 and spring 2008.

Rally attendee Ann Sell of Hollidaysburg hopes Eichelberger succeeds.

"It's God's word," she said. "A man and a woman."

Same-sex couples can't fulfill the intended purpose of marriage by reproducing, she said.

And they create confusion for children -- not only those the couples adopt, but others who observe the relationships, she said.

Thirty-two states currently have amendments like he has proposed, Eichelberger said.

Gays and lesbians can marry legally in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa and will be able to before the end of the year in Vermont and Maine, according to the Web site Lesbian Life.

A gay marriage announcement in Sunday's Mirror didn't motivate him to propose the amendment, Eichelberger said.

Hoover said Eichelberger's proposal is a distraction from the state's serious problems with the budget, the economy and health care.

"It's much ado about nothing," he said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.