Iowa House Committee Votes to Ban Gay Marriage

Goddammit, Iowa! Yesterday the Iowa House Judiciary Committee approved the proposal to amend same-sex marriages.

The vote was 13-8, with Rep. Kurt Swaim, a Bloomfield lawyer, the only Democrat to join Republicans in supporting it. The resolution is now eligible for debate by the full House.


The amendment would not only prohibit same-sex marriages but also would deny state recognition to arrangements such as civil unions and domestic partnerships.

That prospect raises deep constitutional questions and almost certainly ensures that the measure, if approved, would be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, Drake University constitutional law scholar Mark Kende said Monday.

This mess will struggle in the Senate. Majority Leader Michael Gronstal has said plenty of times that he will has block a vote on the proposal.