Gay couples from
across the country may be allowed to wed in
Massachusetts after three of the state's top political
leaders said they would back the repeal of a 1913
law that was invoked to block the practice. According
to the Associated Press, the state's supreme judicial
court ruled that the law, which says couples from states
that ban same-sex marriage cannot be married in
Massachusetts, could be enforced.
The only state
that presently does not ban same-sex marriage is
Rhode Island, the AP reports.
Former
Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said that repealing the
1913 law would turn the state into the "Las Vegas of
same-sex marriage." Newly elected governor Deval
Patrick has promised to sign a repeal.
"I know that the
1913 law has sort of smelly origins," Patrick said in
the article. "I think it's outdated. If [a
repeal] passes the legislature and comes to my desk,
I'll sign it."
Opponents say the
law was originally intended to regulate interracial
marriages, which had varying legalities from state to state
at the time the law was passed. However, the law's
supporters say there's little evidence to uphold that
claim.
Kris Mineau of
the Massachusetts Family Institute is currently pushing a
proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage
in the state.
"Massachusetts
should not become the mecca for gay marriage. We
should not interfere with the sovereignty of other states,"
Mineau said in the article. "It's really a bad
decision to open these floodgates."
Gay activists in
the state say that chances are good the law will be
repealed, but they are now concentrating on a proposed
constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. In
order to keep the amendment off the 2008 ballot,
151 of the state's 200 legislators must vote to keep
the current law allowing marriage equality. (The
Advocate)