Is Indiana's proposed constitutional gay marriage ban bill dead?
House of Reps removes most controversial provision which also banned civil unions and domestic partnerships
A proposed constitutional marriage ban bill in Indiana suffered a major setback on Monday (27 January).
The state's House of Representatives voted 52-43 to amend the bill by removing its most controversial provision which also banned civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Representatives from both parties expressed concern about the language that prohibits any legal relationship that is 'identical or substantially similar' to marriage.
This could jeopardize, opponents say, things that are currently available to same-sex couples including health benefits and hospital visitation.
'We are incredibly grateful to members of the House — Democrats and Republicans — who did the right thing today by striking down this deeply-flawed and harmful clause,' the group Freedom Indiana stated on their website Monday evening.
If the amended resolution is passed in the House, it moves to the Senate. If the Senate approves the amended resolution, it would still have to pass in the 2015 or 2016 legislative session before reaching the ballot where voters would decide whether to make it law.
Although same-sex marriage is already illegal in Indiana, the bill seeks to amend the state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
'We are relieved that, at least for now, discrimination will not be enshrined into Indiana constitution,' Lambda Legal’s Marriage Project Director Camilla Taylor said in a statement.
'Indiana law already prohibits marriage for same-sex couples, and this effort is cruel and unnecessary,' Taylor added. 'We are hopeful that this resolution, that seeks to harm gay and lesbian couples and their children, will be defeated or at least delayed by the Indiana Senate.”
Last week, a House committee approved the constitutional marriage ban bill with the second sentence intact.
The committee vote represented a victory for Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma, a Republican, who committed what some had described as a political power play.
Bosma, who was pushing for the bill to be on the ballot this November, had moved the measure out of the House Judiciary Committee where it did not seem to have sufficient support and moved it to the Elections and Apportionment Committee where passage seemed more certain.
The state's House of Representatives voted 52-43 to amend the bill by removing its most controversial provision which also banned civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Representatives from both parties expressed concern about the language that prohibits any legal relationship that is 'identical or substantially similar' to marriage.
This could jeopardize, opponents say, things that are currently available to same-sex couples including health benefits and hospital visitation.
'We are incredibly grateful to members of the House — Democrats and Republicans — who did the right thing today by striking down this deeply-flawed and harmful clause,' the group Freedom Indiana stated on their website Monday evening.
If the amended resolution is passed in the House, it moves to the Senate. If the Senate approves the amended resolution, it would still have to pass in the 2015 or 2016 legislative session before reaching the ballot where voters would decide whether to make it law.
Although same-sex marriage is already illegal in Indiana, the bill seeks to amend the state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
'We are relieved that, at least for now, discrimination will not be enshrined into Indiana constitution,' Lambda Legal’s Marriage Project Director Camilla Taylor said in a statement.
'Indiana law already prohibits marriage for same-sex couples, and this effort is cruel and unnecessary,' Taylor added. 'We are hopeful that this resolution, that seeks to harm gay and lesbian couples and their children, will be defeated or at least delayed by the Indiana Senate.”
Last week, a House committee approved the constitutional marriage ban bill with the second sentence intact.
The committee vote represented a victory for Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma, a Republican, who committed what some had described as a political power play.
Bosma, who was pushing for the bill to be on the ballot this November, had moved the measure out of the House Judiciary Committee where it did not seem to have sufficient support and moved it to the Elections and Apportionment Committee where passage seemed more certain.
No comments:
Post a Comment