Worrying attempt to ban same-sex marriage in Idaho labelled ‘sad distraction’ by critics
Heather Scott (centre) has proposed that Idaho rejects the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalising same-sex marriage nationally. (Flickr: Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons)
An Idaho resolution is pushing to restore the “natural definition” of marriage which could see same-sex unions, including gay marriage, banned.
Representative Heather Scott, a Republican, proposed the measure to reject the 2015 Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalised same-sex marriage nationally.
In her proposal, which asks the court to reinstate the “natural definition of marriage” as being between one man and one woman, she argues that the 2015 decision is an “illegitimate overreach.”
The momentous Obergefell v. Hodges ruling paved the way for queer people right across the country to marry, regardless of their gender.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, which passed by a 5-4 vote, two of its staunch conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, wrote that the decision should be reconsidered.
‘Sad distraction’
During a hearing on Tuesday (7 January), Scott said: “The purpose of this resolution is just to affirm our state authority to regulate marriage.”
Scott’s proposal was moved forward and will return to the committee for a public hearing at a later date. If it is passed by the legislature the statement would then be sent to the Supreme Court.
House minority leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, and Senate minority leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise have called out Scott’s proposal as a “sad distraction” from weightier issues.
“This is yet another example of the extreme wing of the Republican Party ginning up divisive social issues in order to create problems where none exist,” they told the Idaho Statesman.
The Democratic Party leaders added: “Big government has no business telling consenting adults who they should love.
“This resolution may be a helpful gimmick for winning in closed GOP primaries, but it should be offensive to all Idahoans who value their individual rights and freedoms and just want to live their lives without egregious government interference.”
Same-sex marriage has actually been legal in Idaho since 2014, following the District Court’s ruling in Latta v. Otter that the state’s bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.
However, the ruling did not alter Idaho’s constitutional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
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