Key state - New Hampshire - okays same-sex unions

A bill that was signed into law in May granting many of the legal rights of marriage to homosexual couples in New Hampshire went into effect on January 1, a scant week before the state holds one of the most influential primaries in the U.S. Presidential election, reports John Connolly, LifeSiteNews.com.

The law grants civil union status to homosexual couples, but legally is marriage in all but name. When the law was passed in May, state Reps. Jim Splaine and Gail Morrison, who sponsored the bill, kept quiet as to whether they would push for gay "marriage" similar to that in Massachusetts, but Splaine made his intentions in that direction obvious on Wednesday night.

"We really didn't believe that we'd be able to see this accomplished within one year but it has happened," he said. "One thing we have to keep in mind is that there is much more to do. We have to continue the journey to make sure that we have marriage equality, full marriage equality - with the word marriage - soon."

Rep. Gail Morrison, who entered into a civil union with her homosexual partner shortly after midnight, was proud of the political acheivement; New Hampshire is the fourth state to grant same-sex unions legal status in the U.S.

"We are a citizen legislature and we legislated this into being," said Morrison.

The New Hampshire legislature is dominated by the Democratic party, and the civil unions bill was signed into law by Democratic Gov. John Lynch.

Michael Hein, a representative of The Christian Civic League of Maine, was at the statehouse distributing literature against the same-sex unions. He told the press that he was not there to protest, but to "report to the people of Maine that this is going on next door." Hein drove to the event all the way from Augusta, Maine.

"Without our vigilance in Maine, [civil unions] are something that could occur as soon as next year," he said.

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[01/05/2008]

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