US: Alabama House calls for US constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage
The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a resolution calling for an amendment to the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
The House approved the resolution yesterday, submitted by independent representative Richard Laird.
The resolution calls marriage “a sacred covenant, solemnized between a man and a woman”, and urges for a change to the US constitution.
It goes on to say that the Supreme Court “officially severed its respect for marriage” when it last year struck down the Defence of Marriage Act, which had banned recognition of same-sex marriage federally.
An Article V convention sought by Laird is highly unlikely to succeed, as it requires a total of 34 states to back the plans before Congress is called to consider it.
As same-sex marriage is already law in 17 states and DC, even if every single remaining state joined such a call, they would still not have enough support for an Article V amendment.
Openly gay Democrat Patricia Todd has accused the House Speaker of slipping the resolution by without scrutiny, and not providing details of what was being voted on before it was signed off by the Rules Committee.
She said: “I know that I am the only and first openly gay person in this chamber, and I feel that I have been completely disrespected, that something was slipped by us on purpose.”
“It’s deceptive. They know if they put a full description on here that I would get up and say something.”
Alabama’s own constitution already bans same-sex marriage.
