Connecticut Legislature Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill
Connecticut’s Legislature voted Wednesday night to update the state’s marriage law to conform with October’s state supreme court ruling (PDF) that same-sex couples have the right to marry in Connecticut. The bill would turn all previous civil unions into marriages starting in October 2010, Jurist—Paper Chase reported.
The Hartford Courant’s Capitol Watch blog reported late Wednesday that Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell said she would sign the bill.
The News-Times noted that an amendment was added to the bill allowing religious organizations to withhold services from same-sex couples, including adoption agencies that do not receive any state or federal funding. The Volokh Conspiracy highlighted some relevant sections of the bill.
“As in similar laws around the country, it looks like the bill will allow parents to opt out of any marriage instruction for their children in the public schools,” Dale Carpenter a law professor at the University of Minnesota, wrote on the blog.
