GOP, BYU lawyers defend Utah amendment

Nine Republican lawyers in the Utah legislature and three Brigham Young University law school professors say Utah's proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage would not deprive unmarried couples of basic rights. Their joint statement counters the arguments raised by all three candidates for Utah attorney general, who said the proposal's "overly broad language" would prohibit the legislature from extending "even the most basic partnership rights to unmarried couples." The amendment, which goes before voters November 2, reads, "Marriage consists only of the legal union between a man and a woman. No other domestic union, however denominated, may be recognized as a marriage or given the same or substantially equivalent effect." Sen. Dave Thomas said he wrote the legislative-BYU statement to put the amendment debate back on point. "We've gotten away from what the real issue is: the issue of family and marriage and what it means," he said. The three candidates for attorney general contend that the second part of the proposal would block lawmakers from extending hospital visitation, funeral planning, or even protective orders to unmarried Utah couples. The Utah State Bar's Family Law Section Executive Committee this month voted to oppose the change to Utah's constitution.