Jefferson City, Mo., Mar 10, 2016 / 16:51 pm
A constitutional amendment to strengthen religious freedom protections will likely go to voters after the Missouri Senate ended a 39-hour filibuster by the proposal's foes.
The measure would specially protect churches and other organizations with objections to same-sex marriage. The Missouri Catholic Conference has called it "a good faith effort to protect the dignity of all persons and uphold religious liberty."
Senate Democrats led a filibuster to block the proposed amendment until Senate Republicans used a procedural move to end the debate March 9. The proposal passed the Senate by a final vote of 23-9 on March 7.
If the Republican-controlled House of Representatives also approves the measure, it will appear on the Missouri ballot in an August primary election or in the November general election.