g********d 发帖数: 4174 | 1 Posted on Advocate.com January 19, 2011
Iowa Antimarriage Bill Introduced
By Advocate.com Editors
Legislation that would allow voters to strip Iowa same-sex couples of
marriage rights was introduced in the state house of representatives
Wednesday.
Iowa has had marriage equality since 2009, when the state supreme court
ruled unanimously that denying gay couples access to marriage violated the
state constitution. The new measure, which has been under discussion for
some time, would allow voters to amend the Iowa constitution to ban same-sex
marriage and also prohibit marriage-like arrangements such as civil unions
or domestic partnerships. It would have to pass in two consecutive sessions
of the legislature before going before voters, meaning 2013 is the soonest
it could be on the ballot.
The Des Moines Register reports that 56 of the 60 Republicans in the house
signed on as cosponsors of the bill, while no Democrat did. Republicans
control the house but not the senate, whose Democratic majority leader, Mike
Gronstal, has promised to prevent a vote on the legislation.
Pro-gay groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, One Iowa, and
Freedom to Marry decried the bill. Freedom to Marry executive director Evan
Wolfson issued a statement saying, “Iowa’s legislators should resoundingly
reject this assault on the constitution and families, and avoid dragging
the state backward at a time when Iowa’s families want to see them moving
the economy forward.”
Meanwhile, Bob Vander Plaats, a leader of the effort that resulted in the
voter recall of three Iowa supreme court justices last year, kicked off a
tour on Wednesday of all 99 counties in the state to introduce his new
conservative organization, Family Leader. Among other things, the group is
calling for the resignation of the remaining four justices who ruled for
marriage equality, and for their impeachment if they do not resign. Read
more here. | D**S 发帖数: 24887 | 2 This is very reactionary. | m******1 发帖数: 19713 | |
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