Iowa justices stand up for justice
The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously overturned the state’s 1998 ban on same-sex marriage.
The decision makes clear that any religious organization is free to accept or reject requests to be married by same-sex couples. It applies only to legal recognition of same-sex marriages under the state’s civil law.
The court ruled that banning same-sex couples from marrying violated their civil rights under Iowa’s equal protection laws.
The same applies to the odious federal Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996. It bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, so even though three states now permit same-sex couples to wed, they are still single under federal law.
This denies same-sex couples a while host of federal benefits, and also violates their rights under thre U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment equal protection clause.
Three down, 47 to go….
