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March 3, 2009, 12:48 pm PST
News, Politics and Current Events
NM senate votes down domestic partnership bill; said it would have allowed for the courts to later challenge the sanctity of marriage...
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Domestic-partnership-bill-fails-in-Senate
...The bill by Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque, failed 17-25, with 10 Democrats joining all 15 Republicans in opposition
The bill would have given unmarried couples — including same-sex couples — the ability to file as domestic partners and have many of the (benefits) of married couples.
Opponents claimed the bill would open the door to same-sex marriage. In fact, Sen. Bill Sharer, R-Farmington, said he believes SB12 was "set up specifically to set up a court challenge," that would impose same-sex "marriage" in New Mexico...
In previous years the vote on similar bills was much closer. It failed by only one vote in the Senate in 2007.
What changed? Sanchez said court decisions in California and Connecticut determined that the domestic-partnership laws violated those states' constitutions by creating a separate-but-unequal institution.
Before the bill was debated on the Senate floor, McSorley introduced a substitute bill that took out all references to marriage and spouses from the original SB12.
But both Cisneros and Sanchez said they had a problem with a section of the compromise bill that refers to the state marriage statute.
"If they just spelled out all the rights you'd get under a domestic partnership and not refer to the marriage law, the bishops probably would drop their opposition," Sanchez said...
"The bishops were trying to be compassionate," Sanchez said. "We don't want to legislate everything we believe in, but sometimes you have to stand up."
Cisneros said he could support a version of a bill like Sanchez described, with no reference to the existing marriage law. "If we could get a bill like that, I'd be glad to make a motion to reconsider," he said.
Campos, who supported domestic partnership bills in past sessions, voted against SB12. Shortly after the vote he issued a statement saying his decision to vote no was very difficult.
Campos said he was sympathetic with people who have "expressed a genuine desire to have equal rights to share personal holdings and be able to make end-of-life decisions for loved ones and lifetime partners." But the California court decision on same-sex marriage made him hesitate...
Domestic partnership bill fails in Senate - SantaFeNewMexican.com
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