Iowa House to debate gay marriage ban Tuesday
At 4 p.m.
Jul 31, 2020290.1K Shares3.8M Views
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Iowa House will formally begin debate on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, civil unions and other domestic partnerships, according to an e-mail sent to Democrats by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy(D-Des Moines).
Monday night, scores of Iowans spokeat a public hearing on House Joint Resolution 6, a Republican-backed bill that would amend the state’s constitution to say that “marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only legal union valid or recognized in this state.” With a 60-40 GOP majority in the House, the amendment is considered certain to pass. However, it faces long odds in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Mike Gronstal(D-Council Bluffs) has consistently said he will never allow it to come up for a vote.
Civil rights advocates have blasted the proposed resolution as nothing more than writing prejudice and discrimination into the constitution. Supporters of the amendment say Iowans deserve a chance to have their voices heard on the issue following the Iowa Supreme Court’s unanimous 2009 ruling which held that denying same-sex couples the right to marryviolated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution.
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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