New Mexico Senate Kills Domestic Partnership Bill Due to Catholic Pressure

A Senate version of a New Mexico domestic partnership bill was struck down in a 17-25 vote yesterday as 10 Democrats crossed party lines to join 15 Republicans in opposition to the measure, despite the of the wishes of New Mexico’s Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson that it pass.

Had Senate Bill 12 passed, it would have given unmarried couples, gay or straight, the same rights and benefits that married couples have.

Gov. Richardson, issued a statement after the vote saying, “I’m disappointed by the Senate’s actions today in defeating what is fundamentally an issue of civil rights and equality.”

Opponents claimed the bill would have opened the door to same-sex marriage.

Sen. Bill Sharer (R- Farmington), said he believes the domestic partnership bill had been designed ” specifically to set up a court challenge,” that would impose same-sex marriage rights in New Mexico. House Republican Whip Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque) said, “If this bill would have passed, New Mexico would have been ripe for a court challenge as other states have experienced with gay marriage court rulings.”

Immediately after the vote, several supporters gathered outside of the Capitol. Many were shedding tears. Some speakers said they would come back with another bill next year. “We have to tell the legislators we are not second-class citizens,” said Chris Salas of Albuquerque. “We will be back every year.”

A few senators and advocates for the domestic-partnership bill said Thursday’s defeat of a bill to was due to the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops coming out in strong opposition to the bill.

Roughly a quarter of New Mexico’s population is Catholic.

However the Roman Catholic Church remained silent on domestic partnerships in New Mexico in past debates and some are saying this change in position came on direction straight from the Vatican and The Pope himself.

For the past five weeks the Bishops have been having parishioners call New Mexico Lawmakers and pressure them to vote against the domestic partnership law.

Supporters of the bill said they had tried to hammer out a compromise during the 24 hours leading up to the vote and changed some of the original language, taking out words like spouse, marriage and references to either word in an effort to placate the bishops and Republican opposition.

But those changes weren’t enough to do the trick because they didn’t do enough to satisfy the concerns of the bishops (the pope).

Hmmm… looks like Rome and the Pope are again trying to make our laws for us…

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