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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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