David Paterson, Governor of New York, will introduce legislation this week to legalize same-sex marriage. Paterson’s take on the issue is that it is clearly wrong and unjust to deny gays and lesbians in civil unions up to 1,350 civil protections including healthcare and pension rights just because they are not married.
Paterson believes that the [...] [...more]
David Paterson, Governor of New York, will introduce legislation this week to legalize same-sex marriage. Paterson’s take on the issue is that it is clearly wrong and unjust to deny gays and lesbians in civil unions up to 1,350 civil protections including healthcare and pension rights just because they are not married.
Paterson believes that the ethical action to be taken regarding the issue correlates with the political action that should be applied to the situation. Distributing equal rights to all people is the “only ethical way to treat people who want to live together in peace under the civil law.”
The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that it is a violation of constitutional rights of equal protection for a state law to limit marriage to a man and a woman. Gay couples can get married in Iowa as soon as April 24th. Iowa is now the third state to allow same-sex marriage after Massachusetts and [...] [...more]
The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that it is a violation of constitutional rights of equal protection for a state law to limit marriage to a man and a woman. Gay couples can get married in Iowa as soon as April 24th. Iowa is now the third state to allow same-sex marriage after Massachusetts and Connecticut. Vermont is working its way towards legalizing same-sex marriage although its governor promises to veto the attempt. California also allowed same-sex marriage last year for about six months before it was reversed by voters.
Activists on both sides of the issue believe that Iowa’s newly passed law will spark action in other states whether their course of action is to legalize gay marriage or create constitutional amendments to outlaw it. Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris believes that Iowa’s decision shows the “values of basic fairness are spreading from state to state.”
Chris Sanders, president of the gay rights group Tennessee Equality Project, says “This case will provide additional momentum and we can see the day where same-sex marriage is allowed throughout the United States. People are coming to understand that this is inevitable.” Opponents disagree. They believe that this recent ruling in Iowa will motivate other states that have not passed constitutional amendments to protect the status quo to do so before such a law is passed. We eagerly await the answer that time will reveal.
