Thanks to two members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, the state will not become the sixth to allow homosexual "marriage" — at least not yet.
Gov. John Lynch had promised to veto the latest same-sex "marriage" bill unless it was amended to protect some religious groups. The religious liberties of individuals and small businesses were still at risk, however.
The Senate approved these changes by a 14-10 vote this morning. But the Democrat-controlled House defeated the bill this afternoon in a 188-186 vote. Now, the two houses are attempting to negotiate the different bills before the session ends in June.
Kevin Smith, director of Cornerstone Policy Research, said the Legislature sent the governor a message today.
"This is the second time this bill has failed in the House, and we think it shows there’s no consensus," he said. "The governor threw this back (to) the Legislature, and they weren’t happy about that."
A recent New Hampshire survey found 64 percent of respondents agreed that “marriage between one man and one woman should be the only legal definition of marriage.”
Smith said his group called as many representatives as it could ahead of today's vote, but he was surprised by the outcome.
"It’s nothing more than a God thing," he said. "That is absolutely all I can say about it."
Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa allow homosexual "marriage." The California Supreme Court could rule as soon as Thursday on the state's marriage-protection amendment, which was approved by voters in November.
