Washington Maintains Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Posted by Jenia Gorton on Jul 30, 2006 - 10:00:00 PM
Washington State, a seemingly promising place for a ruling in favor of gay marriage, decided on Wednesday to uphold its ban on same-sex marriages. 19 couples had initiated a lawsuit, claiming the ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, with the hopes that the inconveniences and adversity the ban presents the gay community with would convince the Washington Supreme Court to uplift the ban.
However, with a vote of 5-4, the Washington Supreme Court was able to satisfy opponents to same-sex marriage. According to the Associated Press, Justice Barbara Madsen argued that a ban on gay marriage is in fact constitutional “because the Legislature was entitled to believe that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers procreation, essential to survival.”
In opposition, Justice Mary Fairhurst reasoned that laws banning same-sex marriage were discriminatory, and said, “Unfortunately the [majority] are willing to turn a blind eye…because a popular majority still favors that discrimination,” according to the Associated Press.
Currently only Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage, a few states permit same-sex civil-unions and official registries, while most states have enacted the law, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which bans gay marriage and maintains that marriage must be between a man and a woman.
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