Some lawmakers and anti-civil union activists are concerned New Hampshire law is dangerously inconsistent on whether civil unions are legal.
A House Committee heard two hours of testimony on a measure that aims to close that loophole.
NHPR’s Dan Gorenstein reports.
About 50 people wearing little green stickers opposing an anti-civil union bill took up most of the seats in the hearing room.
But Karen Testerman shared neither the sticker nor the ideology of most of the crowd.
Testerman is with the organization Corner Stone Policy Research.
:25 traditional marriage that has been around since the beginning of time in under attack. I really believe that we need to make sure that there is no question in NH what marriage is. Right now there is some question. There is a loop hole that one could argue.
The loophole Testerman points to on one the one hand is the state law recognizes all unions, contracts and marriages from out of state.
On the other hand, New Hampshire law also maintains marriage is something that can occur only between a woman and a man.
In part, it is this inconsistency that has encouraged Republican Representative Daniel Itse to file legislation to not recognize same sex civil unions.
This bill is not new.
Representative Itse authored a similar bill in 2001.
But, Itse says he has clarified the matter, adding a definition for same sex civil unions.
Track 1
7:02 any union or contract other than marriage intending to infer the benefits of marriage.
1:13 first, this bill is not necessary to block the entry of civil unions into NH…
That’s Franklin Pierce Law Center Professor Marcus Hearn.
…right now the law of NH says no same sex marriage perfectly plain. It says nothing about civil unions, you better have something a lot better than this one sentence flippancy, cause you are going to make a mess.
House committee members also heard from the bill opponents about the damage this bill would do.
Track 8
:37 some of the things that have been said, is that gays and lesbians are looking for special rights…we are not asking for special rights, we are asking for equal rights.
3:25 … this. I don’t know why after all these years, we treat each other in this way…that you are a little less good, a little less deserving of equal rights.
19:46 I look forward to the day when there will be a bill that is worded really carefully, that is worded really right that is going to make equality for our state, until we get to that point I think we should keep rejecting badly worded and spurious bills.
Through all the stories, Karen Testerman with the Corner Stone anti- civil union group listened.
She then spoke to the representatives.
Track 11
:51 I know there are many testimonies out there about some compelling stories and it’s not about discrimination, it’s about protecting children. All of the evidence coming forth at this time show that children are happier, more successful, get higher education, do better economically, fair better psychologically if they are raised in a family with a father, a male father, a mother, a female mother.
The House Children and Family Law Committee is expected to vote on the measure in the coming days.
For NHPR News, I’m DG.
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