On May 21 the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a proposed state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as only between a man and a woman. The House vote followed similar approval of the measure in the Senate on May 11, which means that the proposed amendment will be placed on the state ballot for Minnesota voters to decide in November 2012. If passed it will make Minnesota one of more than 30 states that have actively protected traditional marriage via their state constitutions.
The 70 to 62 House vote stuck mostly to partly lines, although four Republican lawmakers voted against the amendment and two Democrats voted in favor of it. “State law already prohibits gay marriage,” reported the Associated Press, “but supporters of the proposed amendment said it is necessary to prevent judges or lawmakers from legalizing it in the future.”
Passage of the bill was preceded by several hours of emotional debate from individuals on both sides of the issue, including Democratic State Representative Karen Clark, who described how she and her lesbian partner had considered traveling to Iowa, where same-sex “marriage” is legal, so her ailing father could witness the event. “Please don’t make me go off to Iowa,’’ she pleaded with her fellow legislators. “I was raised in Minnesota. I’m a child of Minnesota.” Hours later she called passage of the proposed amendment “a sad day for Minnesota.”
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Complete article at New American : http://bit.ly/k0QnWw
