A bill that would have introduced same sex ‘marriage’ in Illinois failed to come to a vote in the state House after its sponsor admitted that he was unable to gauge enough support to see the measure through.
Victory
In a significant victory for marriage supporters, Illinois House sponsor Democratic rep. Greg Harris announced that he did not have the 60 votes needed for the measure to pass and would not bring the legislation to a vote.
Mr Harris said that several colleagues felt they needed “time to go back to their districts, talk to their constituents, and reach out to their minds and hearts” on the issue.
The measure could be considered when the Legislature reconvenes for a fall veto session in November. But even then, a minimum of 71 votes will be needed for the bill to pass into law.
Campaign
Brian Brown, the president of the National Organisation for Marriage (NOM), which campaigned to preserve the current definition of marriage as between a man and a woman said:
“This effort to redefine marriage in Illinois was one of the most fiercely contested legislative battles in the country this year.
“This is a great victory for our allies and supporters, as well as Illinois families who have worked tirelessly with us to preserve marriage in Illinois. We are gratified that our collective hard work has paid off in this stunning victory.”
The measure was approved by the senate in February, with Governor Pat Quinn vowing to sign the legislation off if it was approved by the House. President Barack Obama personally pushed Illinois lawmakers to endorse the legislation during a Chicago fundraiser last month.
Coalition
But it was opposed strongly by a coalition of a number of prominent black churches, Catholic leaders, NOM and others whilst the Thomas More Society advised lawmakers that the bill had “the worst religious liberty protection of any same-sex marriage bill in the country.”
Mr Brown said: "With a coalition that included strong support from the African American community as well as so many others throughout the state, we did what nobody in the intelligentsia thought was possible. This is a huge victory at a pivotal time, and totally undercuts the lie that somehow same-sex marriage is inevitable.”
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