Twenty-nine Republican lawmakers have
co-sponsored a resolution that seeks to ban gay marriage in
Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State
Representative Daryl Metcalfe reintroduced a constitutional amendment
which seeks to define marriage as a heterosexual union.
“Pennsylvania does not need to wait
for the United States Supreme Court to rule on what natural law
already declares as self-evident,” Metcalfe said in a statement.
“Marriage is a sacred bond that can only be fulfilled by one man
and one woman, as established by God. Final passage of my
legislation will allow state lawmakers to exercise their rightful
responsibility and obligation to uphold the rule of law and the will
of the people.”
“The definition of marriage as 'the
union of one man and one woman,' defended and upheld by this
legislation, is the traditional definition of marriage that has been
recognized and accepted throughout history and the world for
centuries. Neither homosexual special interests gathered under the
immoral umbrella of the ACLU, nor the Obama administration's
Department of Justice or any activist court should decide this
critical issue for our commonwealth,” he added.
House Bill 1349 has been assigned to
the House State Government Committee, which Metcalfe chairs.
Citing a large number of amendments
attached to the bill, Metcalfe put off debate on the measure last
year.
The
Philadelphia Gay News reported that the measure has lost
significant support when compared to last year's version, which was
introduced with 35 co-sponsors.
The measure requires approval from two
consecutive sessions of the state legislature before seeking voter
approval. The earliest it could reach the ballot box is 2015.
(Related: Pennsylvania
Democrat seeks civil unions for gay couples.)