Maine governor John E.
Baldacci signed legislation Wednesday that will enact marriage
equality for the fourth state in New England.
It was unclear whether
Baldacci would sign the bill, even after the house passed it on
Tuesday 89-58, and the senate passed it 22-14 last Thursday.
However, the governor said he has been closely following the
debate, including a 12-hour public hearing which attracted
3,500 visitors and hundreds of public comments.
"This is an
emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important
ideals and traditions," Baldacci said in a statement.
"There are good, earnest, and honest people on both sides
of the question. In the past, I opposed gay marriage while
supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe
that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection
under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil
marriage."
He added, "Article
I in the Maine constitution states that 'no person shall be
deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of
law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be
denied the enjoyment of that person's civil rights or be
discriminated against.'"
There are approximately
4,650 same-sex couples living in Maine, according to the
Williams Institute, a research center for LGBT issues. Half of
those couples are expected to marry within the first three
years of the legalization of same-sex marriage, which could
boost Maine's economy by $60 million annually.
There is still the
threat of a "people's veto," which would force a
voter referendum on the marriage-equality law. The effort,
being led by the Portland Catholic Diocese and the
Maine Family Policy Council, among others, would require 55,087
signatures within 90 days of June 17, the end of the
Maine legislative session. Otherwise, same-sex
marriage licenses would begin to be issued after the
90th day.
"Even as I sign
this important legislation into law," Baldacci added,
"I recognize that this may not be the final word. Just as
the Maine constitution demands that all people are treated
equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate
political power in the state belongs to the people."
Maine Family Policy
Council president Mike Heath announced on May 1 that his group
would lead the movement for a people's veto of "sex
outside of marriage."
"The people of
Maine know what marriage is," Heath said in a statement.
"Politicians pretend this debate is complicated and
emotional. It isn't. Maine people know the difference
between right and wrong. What has been going on in Augusta for
the past 20 years is a horrific farse."
The statement also said
that all Mainers can already get married -- to "someone of
the opposite gender."
Evan Wolfson, executive
director of the Freedom to Marry Coalition, which has been
championing New England's push for marriage equality,
affirmed Wednesday that the battle is not over.
"To avoid a Prop.
8-type assault in Maine," he said, "all who believe
in fairness and equality under the law must take action now and
over the next several months to ensure that the people in Maine
get the information they need to reject the deceptive, antigay
campaign we are likely to see mounted."
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