Protecting Marriage in Wisconsin
Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Senate approved (reg. req’d) a bill that would create a constitutional amendment protecting marriage. The vote was strictly partisan–19 Republicans for and 14 Democrats against. If approved by the Wisconsin Assembly (House), the marriage amendment would be voted upon in a referendum in 2006. Here’s the text of the amendment (Senate Joint Resolution 53):
Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state.
The marriage amendment not only protects the definiton of marriage but also prevents any “marriage-lite” institutions from popping up. It will be interesting to see what the people of Wisconsin choose to say about marriage.