Thursday, 4:30 PM
After second vote, gay marriage ban still advances
By Scott Helman, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage survived a second vote this afternoon after 62 lawmakers moved to advance the initiative to the next legislative session, ensuring that the battle over same-sex weddings will continue for at least another year.
The measure, which only needed 50 votes to stay alive, must still be passed in the next session to make it on the ballot as a referendum in 2008.
In the second vote in a little over two hours, the proposed amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and ban future same-sex weddings was opposed by 134 legislators. Supporters of gay marriage fell 13 votes short of defeating the amendment.
The initiative first passed shortly after 2 p.m. with the support of 61 lawmakers. Moments later, opponents of the ban moved to reconsider in the hopes of garnering an additional 13 votes to kill the measure.
Two hours later, however, the lawmakers supporting the ban held their ground during a second vote and were joined by another member. The amendment advanced with the support of 62 votes.
The vote is a major victory for Governor Mitt Romney, who leaves office in two days but is widely expected to run for president as a social conservative. Romney spearheaded a lawsuit that tried to force lawmakers to act after they adjourned a Constitutional Convention in November without voting on the proposal.
"This is a huge victory for the people of Massachusetts," Romney said in a statement. "In a democracy, the voice of the people is sovereign. I congratulate the Legislature and its leadership for upholding the Constitution and the rule of law."
At the same time, the affirmative vote is a blow to Governor-elect Deval Patrick, who urged lawmakers earlier in the day to defeat the measure by any means necessary to permanently end the debate in Massachusetts, the only state that allows gay marriage.
"I am disappointed by today's vote in the Constitutional Convention," Patrick said in a statement. "We have never used the initiative petition to limit individual freedoms and personal privacy, but today’s vote was a regrettable step in that direction.
"We have work to do over the next year to turn this around," Patrick continued. "I am heartened by the fact that the overwhelming majority of the members of the Legislature – a margin of over 2 to 1 -- voted to move on. I pledge to do what I can to build on that momentum, so that our Constitution will continue to stand for liberty and freedom, and not discrimination."
Backers of the proposed constitutional amendment collected more than 123,000 certified signatures in an effort to get the measure on the ballot. However, the initiative still needs the support of 50 lawmakers in two consecutive sessions.
That means lawmakers will have to revisit the issue again next legislative session. If the ban again gets the support of at least 50 lawmakers, the proposed amendment will be put to the voters as a referendum on the 2008 ballot.
