MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont House has given final approval to a bill that would legalize gay marriage in the state. The 94-52 vote for final passage on Friday falls short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a veto promised by Gov. Jim Douglas.
The state Senate is expected to concur with the House action on Monday. The governor’s office says he will then veto the bill quickly. Legislative leaders say they could bring the bill up for veto-override votes in the House and Senate as early as Tuesday.
IOWA:
WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES RESPONDS TO IOWA COURT LEGISLATING GAY MARRIAGE: CARLSON’S TESTIMONY RULED INADMISSIBLE
(Rockford, Illinois) World Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs said he was “appalled but not surprised” by today’s ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court, in effect legislating gay marriage in the state.
Jacobs commented: “The rationale for this ruling is that limiting marriage to a man and a woman is a violation of equal protection for homosexual couples who want to marry, hence unconstitutional.”
“But if not allowing same-sex couples to marry is unconstitutional, what about a brother and sister, or a man and three women who want to marry? On the basis of today’s ruling, aren’t they also denied equal protection under the law by not being allowed to marry?” Jacobs asked.
“Clearly, the ‘equal protection’ argument is a ruse by a court determined to force its social views on the people of Iowa.” Jacobs charged. “Otherwise, it would have ruled that any two people, or group of people, have an equal-protection right to marry in the state.”
The Iowa Supreme Court ruling affirms a 2007 decision of Iowa District Court Judge Robert Hanson.
World Congress of Families International Secretary Allan Carlson, a renowned scholar of the family, was deposed in the Iowa court case. Carlson’s testimony was ruled not admissible in the summary judgment from Judge Hanson. Hanson stated, “Despite Carlson’s impressive academic credentials, the court does not believe he possesses the knowledge or expertise to answer the specific questions propounded to him [specifically, the consequences of marriage for children].”
In a summary of his “Relevant Opinions” (submitted to the court to establish his qualifications as an expert witness), Carlson said of children raised by their married natural parents: “They are less likely to be physically, sexually, or mentally abused, to use illegal drugs, to be involved in the juvenile justice system, to become wards of the state, or to attempt suicide. Marriage law has privileged the sexual relation of man to woman because of these positive effects on children, which have also made valuable contributions to society.”
Carlson was born in Iowa and is the author of more than 10 published books on marriage and family, including “Conjugal America: On the Public Purposes of Marriage” (2006) and “The Natural Family: Bulwark of Liberty” (2008).
World Congress of Families is an international gathering of pro-family leaders, scholars, parliamentarians and activists held every two years. World Congress of Families V will be held in Amsterdam, August 10-12, 2009.