New Hampshire Senate Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage

Good. More of this and less of the courts meddling. [Link]

The Democratic controlled New Hampshire Senate passed an amended version of the controversial measure to legalize gay marriage today. The vote was 13-11 in favor of the measure.

The House passed a similar measure last month by a 186-179 vote. The two chambers must reconcile small changes between the two measures in a conference committee but this is seen as a technicality. Democratic Gov. John Lynch must decide whether he will sign or veto the bill or allow it to become law without his signature. Lynch has been silent on the matter, though he has stated in the past that he opposes same-sex marriage.

Lynch’s statement in reaction to the vote shed no light on which way he was leaning.

“I recognize that the issue of same-sex marriage is intensely passionate and personal, and raises strong emotions on all sides,” Lynch said. “I still believe the fundamental issue is about providing the same rights and protections to same-sex couples as are available to heterosexual couples. This was accomplished through the passage of the civil unions law two years ago. To achieve further real progress, the federal government would need to take action to recognize New Hampshire civil unions.”

In passing the bill, the Senate rejected the recommendation of a key legislative committee, which last week voted to kill the bill.

But undecided Democratic Senators secured concessions in the form of amendments in return for their commitments to vote in favor the bill during private meetings on Tuesday night. The key amendment would allow churches to refuse to conduct a same-sex marriage.

All state civil unions will become gay marriages in January of 2010.

I think the government, (state and federal), should be out of the marriage business and in the civil union business. Let churches do marriages and let civil unions be the providence of the government.