INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): Attorney General Greg Zoeller says that just because he chooses to defend the state‘s ban on same sex marriage does not mean he is taking sides on the issue.

“I never complain that people challenge a statute, because like every law, there ought to be some opportunity to make sure that the legislature got it right,” Zoeller said when asked about his decision to defend the state’s law against five federal lawsuits challenging its constitutionality.

Unlike other attorneys general – such as Democrat Jack Conway in Kentucky, Zoeller will argue in favor of the marriage law because he says he is bound by his oath of office to defend all state laws in court, regardless of his personal opinion of them. “This is not personal advocacy on my part,” Zoeller said. “The current rule of law supports the state‘s authority to set the licensing for marriage, and we‘ll continue to defend that until the Supreme Court tells us differently.”

The General Assembly failed to place a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on this November’s ballot during the 2014 session; lawmakers approved the amendment but changed it from the last time it passed the legislature to remove a ban on civil unions. Supporters said the status of marriage should be up to voters, but Zoeller says there is nothing inherently wrong with federal courts getting involved. “I think it‘s important those questions be raised through the federal courts so that we know for a fact whether this is a violation of the federal Constitutional right of individuals.”