New Hampshire Governor Lynch Says Yes to Civil Unions

By Anastacia Mott Austin

After discussing a bill allowing same-sex civil unions with the state’s 24 state senators, New Hampshire governor John Lynch has announced that he plans to sign the bill after it goes to the state Senate next week.

House Bill 437 is expected to pass in the Senate, after the state House of Representatives voted in favor of it, 243-129, on April 4th.

While personally opposed to gay marriage, believing that marriage should be between a man and a woman, Lynch told reporters, "this prevents discrimination."

The decision prompted comments from both sides of the debate. "I think that it shows that this is a good governor who is looking in his heart and he realizes that this is something that he has to do and it is time for New Hampshire to have civil unions," said Representative Jim Splaine (D) to reporters. Democrat Splaine is one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 437, and is openly gay. Others felt differently. Karen Testman, executive director of the Cornerstone Policy Research, told reporters, "It’s frustrating and disappointing that the governor would side with the radical left wing of the Democrat Party to push a social agenda on the people."

If passed, the bill would make New Hampshire the fourth state in the country to legalize same-sex civil unions. Connecticut was the first state to do so, in 2005. New Jersey and Vermont followed suit after court cases were decided in favor of adopting the unions. A court order in 2004 mandated legal gay marriage in nearby Massachusetts. New Hampshire’s bill would take effect starting in 2008.

Some have wondered if the decision to allow civil unions would affect the presidential primary, as New Hampshire will be the first state to hold a primary next year. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn), a 2008 presidential candidate, has said to the press that he supports civil unions: "We ought to be able to have these loving relationships. How would I want my child to be treated if they (sic) were of a different sexual orientation?"

The decision to adopt civil unions marks a political change for New Hampshire, which historically has been more conservative. Same-sex marriage was outlawed in the state in 1987, and in 2004, after Massachusetts legalized gay marriage, New Hampshire passed legislature that would not allow recognition of gay partners who had married out of state.

The Catholic Church vocally opposes the bill. Local diocese spokesman Patrick McGee told reporters, "Same-sex marriage and the concept of civil unions undermine the unique position of marriage in society. It’s the unique relationship between a man and a woman. That unit serves to build society and offer stability."

Dawn Touzin, of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, disagrees: "One of the things we want to do is to have people realize when civil unions [go] into place that the sky doesn’t fall, that heterosexual marriages are not falling apart any more than they otherwise would."

The New Hampshire state senate will vote on the bill next Thursday, April 26th.