Vermont legislature gives final OK to civil unions
25 April 2000 (Newsroom) – The Vermont legislature on Tuesday became the first in the United States to grant gay and lesbian couples all the benefits of marriage through civil unions. By a vote of 79-68 the state House of Representatives passed a final version of the bill, which Democratic Governor Howard Dean promised to sign perhaps by the end of the week. The Senate passed a version of the law last week.
Dean told reporters after the vote that the civil union bill affirms marriage as between a man and a woman only, but grants same-sex couples all the benefits of marriage, including tax benefits, inheritance, and the right to make medical decisions for one another. The first civil union ceremonies could take place after July 1.
“This is an historic moment in our struggle for equality and a monumental leap forward for the legal recognition of our families,” Elizabeth Birth, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a prepared statement. “We applaud the state legislature for its courage and leadership in enacting legislation that goes further than any other state in offering fair and equal benefits to all of its citizens.” The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization in the U.S.
Roman Catholic Bishop Kenneth A. Angell of Burlington, Vermont, said the civil unions bill “mocks God’s most basic plan,” according to Catholic News Service.
Janet Parshall of the Family Research Council called passage of the law “a direct assault on society’s most essential institution. It means that Vermont’s lawmakers no longer believe that marriage – and marriage-based families – have any unique value to society. There is no reason for homosexual activists to stop here. They will continue to insist on hijacking the name ‘marriage’ itself, since they have already gained all the benefits and privileges accorded marriage in the law.”
A total of 31 states have enacted laws defining marriage as between a man and a woman only. The federal government does not require states to recognize same-sex marriages that might be permitted in another state.
In December the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the exclusion of gay and lesbian couples from the rights and benefits of marriage is unconstitutional. The court said those benefits could be provided either by modifying the statutes on marriage or providing domestic partnerships.
Copyright © 2000 Newsroom.
Used with permission.
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