BOSTON -- Reaction to the landmark Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision that forbidding same-sex couples to marry violates the state's constitution poured in quickly Tuesday from church and state.

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Some Bay State lawmakers are scrambling to figure out what, if anything, they can do to stop the first vows from being exchanged.

"The decision is very significant," Senate President Sen. Robert Travaglini said. "We are going to analyze and digest what options and what responsibilities are now the Legislature's."

Travaglini stopped short of celebrating with the gay and lesbian community, but Gov. Mitt Romney disagreed with the decision, saying that marriage should be an institution between just one man and one woman. He said that he is going to do all he can to stop marriage licenses from going out to nontraditional couples.

Romney said that he will support an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution that will limit marriage to a man and a woman.

"Marriage is a relationship between a man and a women. The exact equivalent to marriage is also reserved to a man and a woman. Over the next several months, I will work with legislative leadership and other legislators and community leaders to decide what kind of statute we can fashion, which is consistent with the law. We obviously have to follow the law as provided by the SJC. Even if we don't agree with it, we are going to follow it in terms of preparing legislation. We will initiate a constitution amendment process that will be consistent with what I think the feelings are of the people of the commonwealth," Romney said.

Lawmakers said that little can be done to stop the issuance of gay marriage licenses come this spring. Romney's support for the anti-gay marriage amendment can't be voted on until 2006 at the earliest. By then, same-sex couples would have been married for three years.

"I do not think that the ground cover in the next several years will be reversed. I think the court will stand," Sen. Mark Montigny said.

Sen. Cheryl Jacques and Sen. Jarrett Barrios, who both have same-sex partners said that change at that point would be impossible.

"Do the citizens of Massachusetts want to support government-forced divorce on couples like this who will be married by then?" Jacques asked.

"The Legislature has 180 days to implement its finding, which basically means that you guys need to move to change the forms. There is nothing, because this is a Constitutional decision, that the Legislature can do by statute at all in the next 180 days," Barrios said.

Meanwhile, in one of his first political messages since he became leader of the Boston Archdiocese, Archbishop Sean O'Malley came out strongly last week against gay unions.

On Tuesday, he issued a statement saying, "It is alarming that the Supreme Judicial Court has cast aside the very definition of marriage held by people for thousands of years. My hope is that legislators will have the courage and common sense to redress this situation for the good of society."

Other religious leaders are calling on the Legislature to act. From the Vatican to the Boston Archdiocese, church officials said they want Catholics to unite and campaign against gay marriages and gay adoptions.

The opposition is based on an amendment that prohibits adultery, which the church teaches, that includes homosexuality.

"Every child, when they are in school, wants to know who their father is or who their mother is," the Rev. Rich Richardson said. "The identity when you are living in a home of one sex, who is the mother? Who is the father? Where is the father image? These kids don't just drop out of the air."

Fearing consequences on traditional family values, conservative groups are making a vow to fight on. They said that the ban on gay marriage is not a question of civil rights.

"This is a terrible idea. If it goes through, if we do not reverse this, through the constitutional amendment, this country is going to be in dire straits in the next generation," Mass Family Institute spokeswoman Evelyn Reilly said.

Students at Boston College gave their reaction to the court ruling.

"I personally have no problems with gay marriages. I don't think there is anything wrong with that," student Tim Hagan said.

"I know it is not right in the Catholic Church, but I still think the Constitution should allow them to get married," student Christina Caruso said. "I still go to church every week and I consider myself a good Catholic."

"I don't know if it is natural according to God's creation, but they can't tell them what they can and cannot do. It's a free country," student Moutaz Soudani said.

"There is a lot of history and tradition that goes into saying that there should not be gay marriage. I don't think that you can necessary cast that all aside. I am in favor of gay marriage, but I think that you can't just expect the Vatican to just overturn it like that. It's going to be a long time," student Philip Schaeffer said.