The New Jersey State Senate has voted in favor of making New Jersey the 8th State in the United States to legalize same sex marriage. The New Jersey State Assembly is expected to take up the measure for a vote soon.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to veto the measure. He says he prefers putting the measure to a popular referendum. Christie has indicated if the measure is put to the people for a vote and they vote in favor he will accept it.
New Jersey already has a system of civil unions for gay couples to wed. Although the system promises gay couple all the rights and privileges of married couples. The issue is that the system has not worked as promised. Partners in civil unions are encouraged to carry powers of attorney or health care proxy statements so that the hospitals will honor their decisions and similar abuses have been well documented across the state.
Christie has vowed to veto the measure if passed by the assembly because he said that he believes that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. The State Senate appears to be three votes shy of a veto proof majority.
Washington State voted today to also legalize gay marriage but their governor has promised to sign the legislation into law. The Governor of Washington State has offered to discuss the issue with Christie to give him her perspective on the issue and how she came to her decision to sign the law.
Upon passing of the Senate vote, US Senator Frank Lautenberg had the following to say to NJ.com ,
“I am proud that New Jersey’s State Senate has taken this important step toward providing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Marriage equality is one of the most significant civil rights battles of our time, and we cannot stand by while same-sex couples are treated as second class citizens in our state. It’s time to allow same-sex couples to marry and provide the same legal protections for all of New Jersey’s families.”
Do you think that Chris Christie should veto the bill allowing same sex marriage in New Jersey?
