The Salvation Army has issued an edict overriding a controversial decision by one of its U.S. territories that said the Christian organization would extend "domestic partner" benefits to its employees.

The reversal of policy was announced Monday by the Salvation Army's Commissioner's Conference. The new policy establishes a national protocol stating that the organization would only extend health benefits to an employee, his or her spouse, and their children.

"We applaud the Salvation Army for changing what would have been a disastrous course once they realized they had made a wrong decision," said Sandy Rios, president of Concerned Women of America. "This policy, in effect, had the Salvation Army giving its stamp of approval to sexual relationships outside marriage."

Last week, officials in charge of the Salvation Army's Western Territory made a decision to offer domestic partner benefits to employees of the organization – even homosexual employees – to go along with a City of San Francisco policy that demands groups doing business with it have a domestic-partner benefits program.

The decision sparked a firestorm of protest from traditional family groups all across the nation.

But, according to Commissioner Lawrence Moretz, who distributed a memo Monday to all Salvation Army officers, the Commissioners' Conference stated clearly that its decision rescinds the Western Territory's earlier policy on domestic-partner benefits.

Some of the organization's supporters have predicted that groups supporting homosexual rights would begin attacking the Salvation Army for reversing its decision, much like similar groups did after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2000 that the Boy Scouts of America were constitutionally protected from recourse after prohibiting openly homosexual scoutmasters and scouts from joining the ranks.

"Our understanding is that the Salvation Army will pay a heavy price, both financial and psychological, as liberals begin to assail them for their biblical stand in favor of marriage and family," said Rios. "We must rally to their support."

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