By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The Governor of New Hampshire has stated publicly that he will only sign a new law allowing same-sex marriage in his state if the bill contains an amendment providing protection to churches whose teachings oppose to gay unions. However, the state’s House of Representatives narrowly rejected these changes on Wednesday, causing the bill to stall.
In an effort to appease Gov. John Lynch, a supporter of traditional marriage, both the House and Senate passed a revised version of the bill earlier this month that contained language stating that religious ministers could not be forced to sanction same-sex weddings under the law.
However, the governor wanted stronger protections and said he would only sign the bill into law if language was added to also protect religious groups and their employees from lawsuits if they do not perform marriages for gay and lesbian couples.
Once again, the new language was added and the measure passed in the Senate with a 14 to 10 vote; however, the House failed to approve it with 188 to 186 voting against the revision.
Gov. Lynch insists that he wants “the strongest and clearest protections for religious institutions and associations, and for the individuals working with such institutions,” before signing the bill.
“The governor articulated strong principles that needed to be included in order for him to sign the bill,” Colin Manning, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement. “While he will continue to talk with lawmakers, those principles must be maintained in any final version of the bill.”
The measure now heads to a joint committee of the legislature to be considered further.
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