Providence, R.I., Jan 9, 2011 / 07:42 am
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence is warning that the “frenetic rush” to recognize “gay marriage” in Rhode Island is morally wrong and that Gov. Lincoln Chafee and other state leaders are pushing the legislation without adequate debate.
On Jan. 6, State Rep. Arthur Handy, a Democrat from Cranston, introduced his annual bill to recognize same-sex “marriage” in the state. Twenty-nine lawmakers co-signed the bill, including the openly homosexual House Speaker Gordon D. Fox.
Sen. Rhoda Perry, a Democrat from Providence, introduced similar legislation in the state Senate.
The legislation has strong support in the House but has poorer chances in the Senate, the Providence Journal reports. Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed opposes the proposal.
The bill has been introduced eight times in recent years but has never been put to a vote even in the Senate Judiciary Committee.