Battle over same-sex ‘marriage’ continues in states
- Apr 15, 2005 - comment
The states continue to form the battleground over homosexual “marriage.”
Among recent developments on the issue, according to Baptist Press:
- The Oregon Supreme Court invalidated in a unanimous decision April 14 the marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples last year in Multnomah County, the state’s most populous county. The court ruled the licenses violated Oregon law and refused a request to legalize civil unions, which provide homosexual couples with most of the benefits of marriage.
- Connecticut enacted a law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples. When Gov. Jodi Rell, R., signed the bill into law April 20, Connecticut joined Vermont as the only states to endorse civil unions. The law, however, defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
- Kansas voters approved by a 70-30 percent margin April 5 a state constitutional amendment restricting marriage to a man and a woman. It became the 18^th^ state in 18 tries to pass a marriage amendment. The Kansas version prohibits both same-sex “marriage” and civil unions.
- A California appeals court ruled April 4 the state’s domestic partnership law does not violate Proposition 22, the 2000 voter-approved prohibition on homosexual “marriage.” Domestic partnerships, which are similar to civil unions, provide same-sex couples with nearly the same benefits as marriage. The court decided, however, the legislature cannot legalize homosexual “marriage” without permitting voters to decide the issue.
Most pro-family organizations, including the ERLC, are seeking to build support for a federal amendment that will define marriage as a union of only a man and a woman.
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