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Anti-Gay Amendment Advances In Pennsylvania
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 18, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) The Pennsylvania
Senate Judiciary Committee passed a proposed amendment to the state constitution
Tuesday that would ban both same-sex marriage and civil unions.
The measure was approved on a 10-4 vote. It
still needs approval in the full Senate and in the House. It would then need to
be approved again by both houses in the next session of the legislature before
being put to voters.
Pennsylvania already has a law limiting marriage
to opposite-sex couples. Supporters of the amendment say they fear it
could be overturned by a judge.
Opponents of the amendment say the the measure is
poorly worded and could be used to take away the few rights same-sex couples
already have, such as health benefits provided by employers.
"I think it's a very dangerous precedent to
be amending the constitution of Pennsylvania based on court decisions in other
states," said Sen. Jane Earll (R) an opponent of the measure.
"I don't think we should be doing it based
on potential threats, ghosts in corners, when there's no evidence there's any
litigation now or being championed, or in the past, in Pennsylvania."
A similar measure died in a Senate committee in
2006.
Tuesday's vote comes less than two weeks after a
public opinion poll was released showing most people in the state would support
civil unions. (story)
Sixty-five percent of those polled said
they would support civil unions in the state, while 37 percent were opposed.
The survey was conducted by Susquehanna Polling
and Research for the Value All Families Coalition, an umbrella organization
formed to fight the proposed amendment.
The poll found support for civil unions even
among people who regarded themselves as conservatives. Among those who
identified as Republicans, 57 percent said they would support civil unions while
only 35 percent oppose them.
©365Gay.com 2008
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