White House Press Secretary Jay Carney
is unsure whether President Barack Obama opposes repeal of New
Hampshire's gay marriage law.
Republican lawmakers have said they
will consider state Rep. David Bates' bill that would make New
Hampshire the first state to legislatively overturn a gay marriage
law soon after the January 10 presidential primary.
Bates' bill would replace the law with
civil unions for any unmarried adults, including relatives, and would
allow anyone to refuse to recognize such unions.
Approximately 2,000 gay and lesbian
couples have married since the law took effect.
When asked about the upcoming vote by
Chris Johnson of the Washington
Blade, Carney answered that he had not spoken with the
president about the issue.
“Chris, I honestly haven't spoken to
him about that state issue, so I would have to take the question and
see if there's anything I can get back to you,” Carney said.
“The president has said that he –
states should decide how to best address the marriage issue
themselves. If the legislature decides to repeal that marriage law
will he support that decision?”
“Again, that's an 'if-if' question
and I haven't had the conversation with him or with any of the senior
staff about it. So let me take that and see if we can get a response
to you,” Carney replied. (Video of the exchange is embedded in the
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