Senator Larry Farnese Blasts Republican Senator's Bill Banning Same Sex Marriage

Philadelphia, May 19, 2009 - Senator Larry Farnese criticized a bill prohibiting same sex marriage, which was introduced Tuesday by State Senator John Eichelberger (R-Blair County). It’s the third legislative session in a row that a state lawmaker has introduced a measure defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. It would require amending the Pennsylvania Constitution.

"This latest legislation attempting to define marriage is redundant. Pennsylvania law already defines marriage," explained the Senator. “This bill is a misguided measure that excludes an entire segment of our population, and sends a message that people who also happen to be gay do not have rights," he added.

Currently, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa allow homosexual couples to marry. Later this year, they will also have that right in Maine and Vermont. New York's State Senate is considering a same sex marriage bill, which passed in the Assembly, and New Hampshire Governor John Lynch is poised to sign his state's same sex marriage bill into law, which would take effect in January.

"You would think, after all these other states followed Massachusetts' lead in 2003 by allowing gays and lesbians to marry, some of Pennsylvania's lawmakers would stop trying these repeated, mean-spirited attempts to fix what isn't broken with the state Constitution," said Sen. Farnese.

Previous attempts to move similar legislation at the state level have failed, including Republican Senator Mike Brubaker’s bill last year, as well as separate House and Senate legislation introduced in the 2005 – 2006 legislative session by Republicans, Senator Bob Regola and Representative Scott Boyd.

At the federal level, the United States Congress has also voted down efforts to amend the Constitution to ban same sex marriage in 2004 and 2006.

Senator Farnese characterized this latest focus on banning marriage between homosexual couples in Pennsylvania as a waste of time.

"The Republicans should spend their time on the more pressing issues facing Pennsylvania. Rather than passing a slash and burn budget and introducing discriminatory anti-gay marriage legislation, they should be focusing on how to help the people of this Commonwealth, not hurt them."

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