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In Iowa, opponents of gay marriage push for a referendum vote

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | December 26, 2009 at 10:19 am

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He says the occasion will mark the first time that all three branches of state government are together since a unanimous Supreme Court ruled April 3 that a state law defining marriage as between one man and one woman was unconstitutional, clearing the way for same-sex marriages in Iowa.

FOX News

Taking their cue from the state of Maine, which in November repealed a gay marriage bill which had been passed into law by the state's Governor, opponents of same sex marriage are pushing hard for a chance to do the same in the state of Iowa.

The Iowa family policy council group ACTION plan to have members throng the state house on January 12, to propose voting on a constitutional state ban on same sex marriage. This is an attempt to overturn the April ruling which found "one man, one woman" to be discriminatory.

The state of Maine, with their successful overturning, via Referendum Question One, of gay marriage has now set a national precedent for other states to do the same, via a public vote. By placing the referendum on the ballot, Maine was able to reverse what many had viewed, up to that point, as inevitable progress.

It is not yet clear if a people's vote referendum would gain supremacy over the idea of voting to ban gay marriage through the State legislative branches. But it is clear that reversals in Maine, New York, and New Jersey have sparked renewed efforts by opponents of Marriage Equality.

Opponents of gay marriage in Iowa are organizing a large rally next month to pressure lawmakers to act on a gay marriage ban, Fox News reported.

Social conservatives have vowed to reverse the Iowa Supreme Court's April 3 unanimous ruling that legalized gay marriage in the state with a constitutional amendment that bans the institution.

Unlike other states such as California, a constitutional amendment needs the approval of the General Assembly before heading to the ballot box.

The anti-gay group Iowa Family Policy Council Action is sponsoring the January 12 rally, which is expected to draw hundreds to the Capitol to protest Democratic Governor Chet Culver's address on the Condition of the State to a joint session of the General Assembly with Iowa Supreme Court justices present. Democrats, who control both houses and the governor's mansion, have repeatedly blocked Republican efforts to ban gay marriage.

But opponents believe the issue of gay marriage will reignite the GOP base in 2010 as voters head to the polls to elect new leadership.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Opponents of Iowa's gay marriage law are promising to push hard during the 2010 legislative session for a vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex unions.
Bryan English of Iowa Family Policy Council ACTION says pro-marriage supporters plan to be at the state Capitol en masse on Jan. 12 when Gov. Chet Culver delivers his Condition of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly with Iowa Supreme Court justices present.

He says the occasion will mark the first time that all three branches of state government are together since a unanimous Supreme Court ruled April 3 that a state law defining marriage as between one man and one woman was unconstitutional, clearing the way for same-sex marriages in Iowa.