Iowa House Majority Leader Linda
Upmeyer on Monday would not rule out another attempt at passing a
constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples.
Gay marriage celebrated its third
anniversary in Iowa on April 3, the date the Iowa Supreme Court
handed down its unanimous decision legalizing such unions.
In 2011, the Republican-led House
approved the amendment but Democrats in the Senate blocked it from
consideration.
Talk on the issue among Christian
conservatives has died down since November's election. After
successfully organizing against three Supreme Court justices in 2010,
opponents came up short in their attempt to remove Justice David
Wiggins from the bench.
“Although the November election
didn't go the way we planned, we are very optimistic about this
session and you can be assured that we will enthusiastically
represent your pro-family, pro-constitutional values at the
Statehouse,” Bob Vander Plaats, the executive director of The
Family Leader, which spearheaded the campaign to oust Wiggins, said
in an email to supporters.
Vander Plaats, whose lament was also a
reference to the Senate remaining in Democratic hands, also disclosed
in his email a legislative agenda which made no mention of the
marriage amendment.
Yet, when asked on Monday, Upmeyer
would not rule out another attempt.
“What about gay marriage and
abortion?” a female reporter asked.
“We don't know what bills will be
filed but, um, there may be some bills filed,” she said, looking
away from the reporter and toward House Speaker Kraig Paulsen.
“Don't know at this point,” she
added.
According to a Des Moines Register
poll released last February, a majority (56%) of Iowans oppose the
marriage amendment.