House votes down proposed amendment to ban gay marriage

CONCORD, N.H. --The New Hampshire House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against a proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

The late afternoon vote was 207-125.

The amendment would have defined marriage as the union of one woman and one man.

State law does not permit gays and lesbians to marry in New Hampshire, nor does the state recognize marriages and civil unions performed out of state.

But supporters of the amendment insisted it was needed to prevent the courts from forcing a decision, as happened in Vermont and Massachusetts. Gay-marriage supporters had said no such lawsuits were planned in New Hampshire.