Politics
Friday June 1, 2007
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
New Hampshire Passes Homosexual Civil Unions Bill
Senator Brownback states, “In nations that have embraced same sex unions, overall marriage has declined"
By Gudrun Schultz
CONCORD, New Hampshire, June 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed into law a bill establishing homosexual civil unions in the state Thursday, making NH the fourth state to grant the controversial right to homosexual couples.
The legislation takes effect Jan. 1, 2008, recognizing civil unions from other states as well. The law withholds certain federal tax rights held by married couples but grants state rights similar to those of marriage.
Civil union legislation has been condemned as a farce by opponents to legal recognition of homosexual partnerships, who say it differs from heterosexual marriage in name only. The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Dana Hilliard and Rep. Jim Splaine, both declined to say if the next step will be the pursuit of full homosexual marriage rights similar to Massachusetts, according to SeaCoastOnline.
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback criticized New Hampshire Gov. Lynch for signing the legislation, saying, “In nations that have embraced same sex unions, overall marriage has declined putting families in jeopardy. This is a massive social experiment whose early results have been quite harmful to families and children.”
“We know in our hearts and we know from all the social data, marriage is the union of man and woman bonded together for life,” Brownback said. “The last thing we ought to do is redefine marriage out of existence.”
The law was passed by a Democratic- controlled House last month. Opponents have warned that legislators who supported the bill will pay a heavy price in the election of 2008. The organization Conserve N.H. has said they will push to repeal the law. A statement to Gov. Lynch, posted on the group’s website, accused the New Hampshire Legislature of bypassing the public in approving civil unions, saying, the Legislature “ignored reams of data that demonstrate the significant negative consequences of policies that demean the traditional family unit and harm our communities.”
An item on a companion bill accompanying the Senate budget plan released Wednesday would give homosexuals in a civil union the right to jointly adopt a child. The item was added in anticipation of Gov. Lynch’s signing of the gay civil union legislation, SeaCoastOnline reported this morning.
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Gay Civil Unions Discriminate Against Homosexuals Says Activist Group in Connecticut Supreme Court
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051507.html
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- UK Bishops’ Document on Homosexuality Praised by Prominent Anti-Catholic Homosexualist
- Interview: "The Proposed Coalition Government is Very Very Scary" Says Canadian Pro-Life Leader
- Abortionist Pleads No Contest to Felonies, Faces up to 10 Years in Jail
- Catholic Bishop: "Go Right Ahead and Arrest Me" Rather than Obey Freedom of Choice Act
- Abortion Linked to Disproportionately High Rate of Black Premature Births
- Bush Interview: "I Didn't Sell my Soul for Politics"
- Unprecedented Restrictions Placed on Religious, Political Clubs at Lakehead University
- Franklin Graham, Son of Billy Graham, at California Megachurch: "Abortion is Murder"
- Author of French "Right to Die" Law Opposes Efforts to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
- Life Prizes Announces Winners of $600,000 Pro-Life Award
- Homosexualist Catholic University Students Join Protest against True Marriage
- Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, December 2, 2008
- Purchase of Christmas Music CD By Pro-Life Priest is Great Way to Support LifeSiteNews
Most Read this Week
- Behind the Scenes of Volition: Coincidences and Startling Circumstances
- Ad Showing Woman Seducing Santa Promotes Free Morning-After Pills and Condoms for Christmas
- Belgian Couple Sells Baby on EBay
- Leading Canadian Pro-Life MP Relates Shocking 20 Year Lack of Support From Catholic Clergy
- Naming the Anti-Life Appointments in the Obama Administration
- Cardinal on Biblical Condemnation of Homosexuality: We're Not Allowed the Cowardice of "Politically Correct" Silence
- Film Review: Volition
- A Painful, Disease-Ridden Death Isn’t So Bad if You’re Just a White, Heterosexual Male
- Just In Time for Christmas - Gift Cards for Abortions from Planned Parenthood
- Abortion Now Number One Cause of Death in Spain
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.