Vermont Guv Vows to Veto Same-Sex Marriage
EmailABC News’ Teddy Davis reports: Gay rights are once again being hotly debated in the state of Vermont. Back in 2000, in response to a decision of the state’s Supreme Court, Vermont became the first state in the nation to enact a civil unions law. In the years since then, California, New Jersey and New Hampshire have followed suit in providing state benefits to same-sex couples outside of the institution of marriage either through domestic partnership laws or Vermont-style civil unions. Massachusetts and Connecticut have gone a step further: Both states have adopted same-sex marriage via court decision. No state has adopted same-sex marriage through the approval of the legislature and governor. On multiple occasions, same-sex marriage has passed California’s Democratic-controlled legislature before being vetoed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Vermont legislators who were hoping to become the first state to approve same-sex marriage through non-judicial means were dealt a blow on Wednesday by the state’s governor. Speaking at a news conference, Vermont Republican Gov. Jim Douglas said he will veto same-sex marriage if it continues to advance in the state legislature and reaches his desk. Douglas explained his stance by saying that he thought Vermont’s first-in-the-nation civil unions law provided adequate legal protection to same-sex couples. "For those reasons and because I believe that by removing any uncertainty about my position we can move more quickly beyond this debate, I am announcing that I intend to veto this legislation when it reaches my desk," said Douglas. The gubernatorial announcement was swiftly rebuked by supporters of same-sex marriage. "History will judge Jim Douglas on the wrong side of this issue," said Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith (D). One prominent Vermont Democrat who is still standing by the state’s civil unions law is former presidential candidate Howard Dean. Dean is the former Vermont governor who approved a civil unions law nine years ago in response to the state Supreme Court’s decision in Baker v. State. During a March 2 interview with ABCNews.com, Dean said "if a state wants to do marriage that is their business, I have no problem with that." But while he has no objections to a state enacting same-sex marriage, he does not actively support it and he defended civil unions as an equal institution under Vermont state law. "From a legal point of view, civil unions in Vermont are equivalent to marriage for same-sex couples," said Dean. "So what we are really arguing about is a particular word." Asked about last year’s Connecticut Supreme Court decision which struck down civil unions as violating that state’s constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law, Dean said, "I don’t agree with the gay community that all civil unions are unequal and there’s some disagreement inside the gay community on whether or not we should have marriage." "But you know," he continued, "why are we having this discussion. I mean, you know the movement is going forward for equal rights and I support that movement, however it ends up coming out." ABC News’ Ferdous Al-Faruque contributed to this report.
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Gov.: If you support a “movement” but don’t vote for it…. you don’t support the movement. Make a stand either way, but don’t ride this fence. Both sides of this issue should take offense to this coward.
Posted by: Stacy | March 25, 2009, 9:37 pm 9:37 pm
Those who support the institution of traditional marriage should leave the Democratic Party and become political independents.
The Democrats are now controlled by the far left.
Posted by: USmarine0331 | March 25, 2009, 9:48 pm 9:48 pm
I’m shocked. Isn’t Vermont the most liberal state in the country?
Posted by: James | March 25, 2009, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm
equality for all is a fight worth fighting … eventually justice and sanity will prevail
Posted by: earth_not_flat | March 25, 2009, 10:04 pm 10:04 pm
Stacy said: don’t ride this fence. Ok, here is a reason for the governor to block same-sex marriage: homosexuality is abnormal. This is as a direct result of people being genetically programmed to transfer their values onto their offspring. Since there is no natural way for a homosexual couple to produce children, they have no offspring onto which to transfer their values. Understanding the bias that nature has in favor of heterosexual relationships leads to an objective definition of what it means to be normal. Someone may be considered normal by exhibiting the ability to successfully transfer their values onto their offspring. Because homosexual human relationships lack this ability, homosexuality is abnormal. The current crop of humans on the planet contains the result of many inter-generational values transfers. Over time various values have competed for dominance over humans and have aggregated themselves into coherent systems of behavior. The value systems that have succeeded are the ones that most effectively transfer to the next generation. One attribute of a successful value system is its ability to protect the person containing it from susceptibility to less viable value systems. We observe this natural protection in the behavior of normal humans whenever they express approval of heterosexual affection and revulsion against homosexual affection. These responses are simply mechanisms that nature has given us so we may remain normal even when a less viable value system attempts to express itself. So, until nature discovers a way for homosexual relationships to produce offspring and for those homosexual couples to successfully transfer their values onto those offspring, homosexuality in general and homosexual marriage in particular will remain abnormal.
Posted by: rennin1 | March 25, 2009, 10:08 pm 10:08 pm
How is it that these politicians don’t bother to listen to their constituents and just vote as they please? Is anyone out there listening to US?
Posted by: Lisa | March 25, 2009, 10:11 pm 10:11 pm
I think that all people in this country should be treated with equality. Basically because at some point you will be in the minority on any particular issue and I’m sure you would want protection under the law.
Posted by: kensga | March 25, 2009, 10:11 pm 10:11 pm
Time to add more fuel to the fire as to why so many conservatives fight against even the civil unions. In Vermont, marriage and civil unions are exactly the same, but still the far left pushes and pushes against the majority of people who are against same sex marriage.
Lets see if another state will ever allow civil unions to gay people now that people see exactly what giving leftists any leeway gets you.
Posted by: rylin25 | March 25, 2009, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm
Stacy , I don’t understand your logic. Sounds more like an excuse to behave irrationally by rationalizing irrational behavior. Just try to be nice to people, without passing judgement, thats a tough one ain’t it. lol
Posted by: kensga | March 25, 2009, 10:19 pm 10:19 pm
Rylin, tell me what exactly is the far left agenda?
Posted by: kensga | March 25, 2009, 10:21 pm 10:21 pm
rylin without talking points please i beg you
Posted by: kensga | March 25, 2009, 10:22 pm 10:22 pm
Excuse me, but just because you got married doesn’t mean you must have offsprings. I want to have to same 1000+ benefits of marriage as everyone else. With a civil union, I may only 50 of those benefits.
Posted by: Dave C | March 25, 2009, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
Dean’s marriage doesn’t dissolve when he crosses state lines. He’s lying when he says that civil unions give gay people equal protection.
The Vermont Governor should be ashamed of himself. His descendants will be.
Posted by: ryan | March 25, 2009, 10:41 pm 10:41 pm
I get so sick of gay people whining about civil rights. I dont recall a time when they were enslaved,beat killed
attacked by dogs, denied education, employment or housing (enmasse) They have the right to do as they well please. Just dont bring that junk into the christian church. (Which is their ultimate goal).
Here you got basically a bunch of promiscuous people that will stop at nothing until they convince our kids that it being gay is normal and being strait is old fashioned and out of step.
Posted by: Jaye | March 25, 2009, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
Traditional families with a father, mother, and their biological children are no longer on the major network series, because the major networks’ promotion of the GLBT agenda would be compromised. It doesn’t matter what Obama or the Supreme Court does now, 40% of the children born last year in the USA left the hospital in the arms of their unwed mother. It’s over. End of the American family. Case closed. End of America. Thank you ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, Hollywood. If you hire a Ghost Whisperer and go to Arlington National Cemetery you can hear the remains of our heroes rolling in their graves over what their undisciplined children, my pathetic Baby Boomer generation, gave away that they had fought to the death against Hirohito and Hitler/Mussolini to save for future generations.
Posted by: Rob | March 25, 2009, 10:53 pm 10:53 pm
Enough, already. The Christians should not be running the show based on their myopic religious beliefs.
Hey! My hetrosexual divorce “hurts” marriage more than gay marriage! I’m sure they’d like to force women to stay in unhappy marriages, too!
Posted by: Jen | March 25, 2009, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm
Can we stop wasting tax dollars on this? This is only about being recognized as a married couple by the government. Let it happen. Those who say its a SIN, too bad for you, religion and government is (supposed to be) separated.
Posted by: John | March 25, 2009, 11:11 pm 11:11 pm
Activist governor needs to be vetoed right out of office.
Posted by: Chris | March 25, 2009, 11:30 pm 11:30 pm
Jaye: “I get so sick of gay people whining about civil rights. I dont recall a time when they were enslaved,beat killed
attacked by dogs, denied education, employment or housing (enmasse) They have the right to do as they well please.”
That is simply not true if you do your homework. gay people have been subject to many worse offenses–in the past they have been enslaved, beaten, and killed for what they were. They were killed and imprisoned as sodomites from the middle ages(burned/hanged) right up to Victorian times. During WWII they were burned along with the Jews by the Nazi government. Try getting an education as an openly gay individual in any of the repressive goverments today be it in Iran or North Korea. Another recent case that of Matthew Sheppard who was MURDERED for who he was. Don’t throw around false statements if you don’t know what you are talking about.
Also no one is trying to “bring” it “into the Christian church”, since the advocacy of marriage is in the purely secular world of the US federal government (separation of church and state?) Marriage is a contract and a civil one at that when it is recognized by the governments (local, state, fed), a religious ceremony is something else altogether (why with Catholics for example you have a civil ceremony and a religious one; in a civil ceremony you can get divorced, in a religious ceremony in the eyes of the church you are married forever till death, there is no divorce, hence you cannot remarry in the Catholic church).
Posted by: Kristen | March 26, 2009, 12:14 am 12:14 am
Actually gay people have been killed in the past (disemboweled, burned at the stake, hanged, etc.)
The Nazis also hunted them and put into the death camps.
Posted by: Lainey | March 26, 2009, 12:21 am 12:21 am
Christians aren’t running the show, common sense is running the show.
Jim Douglas, please protect marriage as the union between one man and one woman.
Posted by: Mimma | March 26, 2009, 12:23 am 12:23 am
Homosexuality are an abomination…Kristen, you are an ignoramous…You talk out of your ass. Matthew Sheppard was not murdered because of his deviation. It’s a lie spread by dishonest peopl like you to push their agenda. Sodomites should be punished just like pedophiles, rapists and people commiting bestiality. All those types of behavior are deviant and harmful!!!
Posted by: lokietek | March 26, 2009, 12:32 am 12:32 am
Mimma and your the voice of common sense? I think not!
Posted by: Kristen | March 26, 2009, 12:32 am 12:32 am
Protect marriage from what? How are you threatened by two gay people being married to each other?
Why do you need to be protected? What the heck do you think is going to happen to you?
Posted by: ryan | March 26, 2009, 12:33 am 12:33 am
lokietek you are the ignorant one, all those things really did happen. So what is it you are advocating? Are you sanctioning murder or violence against gay people?
Posted by: Kristen | March 26, 2009, 12:34 am 12:34 am
If we let religion rule on this issue, watch out! Next thing you know they will be blocking birth control and divorce, both big issues for Catholics, Mormons and fundamentalist Christians. Every win just makes them think they have more power! If two men or two women want to get married, why not? That does not prevent me from living my life the way I choose.
Posted by: Cassandra Washington | March 26, 2009, 12:45 am 12:45 am
Who is saying that homosexual people cant get married?
Posted by: Dan | March 26, 2009, 12:50 am 12:50 am
VETO ANYTHING SUPPORTING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Marriage is meant for one man, and one woman.
Posted by: Mimma | March 26, 2009, 12:52 am 12:52 am
Yes.. yes… equal licensures for everyone… driver’s licenses for the blind too… I believe that the aforementioned disembowelment happened at the hands of a hamster…
a supporter of this blather references sanity for comedic effect I suppose…
this is such a nensensical issue that it should be laughed right out of the legislature… but of course we know which end of the sanity scale most of those morons reside…
Posted by: blasto | March 26, 2009, 12:57 am 12:57 am
Pilot’s licenses for narcoleptics… we cannot have discrimination folks…
Posted by: blasto | March 26, 2009, 1:03 am 1:03 am
? Hotly debated ? …where in the democrats shower bay?… This is a no-brainer… I guess that’s why they’re debating it… LOL !
Posted by: blasto | March 26, 2009, 1:05 am 1:05 am
Way to go Governor! You are doing the right thing!
Posted by: Justme8811 | March 26, 2009, 3:34 am 3:34 am
Folks, our governor is a political animal, and this stance is what is expected of him by the Republican National Committee. This bill passed the Senate with only four dissenting votes. If it passes the House with a similar margin, it is veto-proof under our constitution. Douglas can veto it, but it only takes 2/3 of both the Senate and the House to override his veto. We get our law, and he gets to cover his butt with his party.
What would take true courage would be for him to sign it.
Posted by: Pat | March 26, 2009, 7:51 am 7:51 am
Here we are in the 21st century and we still have people who are subject to their basic fears and mob mentality. They disgrace the human potential for reason. I pity them since they are victims of mythological indoctrination in their youth and are unable to break free of that influence. They become fixated in order to find their comfort zone. We look back in history at those people and shake our heads in shame as they were our society. Thankfully we evolve and those ideas fade. Dean will never again see the support he once had in his presidential campaign. He has killed any entheusiasm his supporters once had.
Posted by: Wayne | March 26, 2009, 8:42 am 8:42 am
See…give gays an inch…and they want to take a mile.
For years, all we’ve heard is give us civil unions. They get it. Now that isn’t good enough. Sickening isn’t it.
Nobody is denied marriage, nobody. Any gay can marry. You just have to marry someone of the opposite sex. If it’s about “rights”, gay male marries gay female. Problem solved. You get your “rights”.
Posted by: Kim | March 26, 2009, 8:53 am 8:53 am
“Marriage”:The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. (American Heritage Dictionary). A man is a person with a penis. A woman is a person with a vagina. In other words, these two persons have 2 different sexes.
THEN HOW CAN THERE BE SUCH A THING AS “SAME-SEX MARRIAGE”???!!!
Posted by: asensibleone | March 26, 2009, 8:59 am 8:59 am
Science will discover that being gay is a disease and or a mental disorder. Gayness isn’t natural.
Nature proves this. What purpose does coupling with the same sex serve? None. Sex is about producing offspring. That was the intentions to our configurations whether male or female. Males get erections, to go into females. Intercourse results in ejaculation, release of sperm. Sperm’s only purpose is to fertilize an egg. The females natural lubricant is the perfect environment for sperm to swim in. Female has orgasm and muscles contracted from orgasm draws sperm to cervix and up uterus. You see, it is all about reproducing. It is all natural, as nature intended it.
Can two males reproduce? No. Can they “go through the motions”? I suppose, but it isn’t natural. The rectum doesn’t secrete a lubricant, so they have to use one – first sign that it isn’t natural. What good does ejaculating sperm in someones arse have? None. It is unnatural and unhealthy and has no purpose. Nature didn’t intend for that to happen.
Often we here how gayness has been around for thousands of years or since the existance of man. If that really were true, don’t you think that nature would have “evolved” people to have a purpose to have butt sex. Nope, no “evolution”.
Posted by: Jill | March 26, 2009, 9:11 am 9:11 am
Another example of religious zealots ramming their theology down the throats of other Americans. This is the kind of crap we get when religionists mix their personal theologies with public policy. This kind of religious bigotry is a threat to democracy.
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