BATON ROUGE - Louisiana senators have refused to eliminate gender-specific terms from state marriage laws in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

A Senate judiciary committee voted 4-1 Monday against the proposal by Sen. J.P. Morrell.

Morrell, a New Orleans Democrat, said while the subject might be controversial, the law is irrefutable.

The Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative Christian organization, objected to the changes.

Organization president Gene Mills said the current language referencing a husband and wife and describing marriage as a "between a man and a woman" reflects the view of a majority of Louisiana's citizens.

He suggested a future Supreme Court could change the same-sex marriage ruling.

Morrell replied: "This is the law of the land whether you like it or not."