Posted on 04/16/2011 4:45:50 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Delaware will be the eighth state to allow civil unions or comprehensive domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.
The state House of Representatives voted 26 to 15 Thursday night in favor of the measure. Governor Jack Markell, who has been a gay rights advocate throughout his public service career, has said he will sign the civil union bill, which gives gay couples the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples. The Senate passed the bill last week.
"We are tremendously proud that the Delaware House has passed civil union legislation," said Equality Delaware President Lisa Goodman. "The fact that the Delaware General Assembly passed civil union legislation on the first attempt is a great testament to how far public opinion has come on equality issues. This is a great day for equality in Delaware."
Gay couples in Delaware will not be allowed to obtain marriage licenses. But the delmarvanow.com newspaper, owned by Gannett, noted that the bill, SB 30, was “written to parallel Delaware’s marriage code” and that opponents of the legislation believe it will be used to push for gay marriage.
"You have created a new civil right, but you've done it at the expense of the institution of marriage, at the expense of children and at the expense of taxpayers who have no clue what they're buying," said Doug Napier, an attorney with the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defense Fund, according to delmarvanow.com.
"A vote for civil unions is a vote against marriage in Delaware. And that will be your voting record,” he said, speaking to House lawmakers.
SB 30 does, however, give religious institutions the right to refuse to perform same-sex union ceremonies.
Delaware’s civil union law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012. States that allow civil unions for same-sex couples include California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington, according to the Human Rights Campaign. And earlier this year, Hawaii and Illinois passed civil union laws that will take effect in June 2011 and Jan 2012, respectively.
No such thing. The union of the male-female sex organs is what marriage is...homosexual couple can't do that.
True marriage leads to procreation...which is bottom line ultimately why the vows are said...so the kids are not foisted upon society to take care of. Random sex "acts" in all shapes and form are not marriage...the real thing is.
“True marriage leads to procreation...”
And you can try to sell such BS to my sterile aunt, if you like, but I doubt she’ll buy much.
But procreation does come from true marriage.
rue marriage leads to procreation...which is bottom line ultimately why the vows are said...so the kids are not foisted upon society to take care of. Random sex “acts” in all shapes and form are not marriage...the real thing is.
You can refine that. While even some heterosexual couples can’t reproduce, they can still set an example for what most families should be. Take my grandfather for instance. He and his second wife are both remarried, and too old for children. However, they do all they can to care and act as both parents and grandparents, examples of what parents should be (one man, one woman), even though they don’t reproduce through their marriage, they do this instead with future generations in mind) Remember, it’s mostly about the kids and the general example being set for them as to what they should be when they grow up.
But with or without kids man-woman love is still a God-given model for society which others (whether they end up bearing kids or not) will benefit from. Agreed.
My correction, the man-woman marries sets the ideal for which all families should strive to be.
The states with same-sex marriage (or equivalent) are VT, CA, NJ, CT, NH, OR, DC, WA, NV, IL, HI and now DE.
ME, MD, CO and WI have a lesser form of domestic partnerships.
Adding those four and it's nearly 1/3.
Sarah was 90 years old when she gave birth to Isaac, so there is still hope for your sterile aunt.
RE: Sarah was 90 years old when she gave birth to Isaac, so there is still hope for your sterile aunt.
Yes, maybe He has great plans for auntie... He wants her to be the mother of a great nation :)
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