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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Same-Sex Marriage: Massachusetts Fails to Pass Ban

Aired February 13, 2004 - 06:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: After striking out three times and failing to amend the constitution to outlaw gay marriages, Massachusetts lawmakers say that they will mull it over and try again next month.
And reporter Steve Cooper of our CNN affiliate station WHDH is joining us very early this morning from Boston.

Good morning to you -- Steve.

STEVE COOPER, WHDH-TV REPORTER: Good morning, Catherine.

The Massachusetts State House, and you can certainly see it behind us here this morning, is a State House that is deeply divided. Two days of debate over the controversial issue of same-sex marriages and basically this morning the headline is we're back at square one.

And let's show you what things looked like really pretty much earlier this morning. We're talking about a little bit after midnight and that's when the eyes of the nation were squarely watching Massachusetts. Lawmakers failing on three occasions to pass a ban on gay marriage in a deeply divided body finally calling it quits at about midnight after nearly 20 hours of debate over two days.

The move to amend the state constitution came after the state's highest court here in Massachusetts ruled gay couples can marry beginning in May. Well opponents of the ruling were looking to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman while creating civil unions for same-sex couples. But all of that ultimately went down in defeat. And lawmakers will try once again when they reconvene the Constitutional Convention on March 11 to regroup, find some common ground and try to take up this whole issue one more time.

But really the headline this morning is an effort to ban same-sex marriages, which were given the go-ahead by the state's highest court here in Massachusetts in May, well right now all bets are off. And it's back to the drawing board as these lawmakers, after two weary days of some pretty contentious debate, ended up doing nothing here except voting down three potential amendments in connection with amending the constitution here in Massachusetts.

We're live in Boston this morning, Steve Cooper for CNN. Catherine, back to you.

CALLAWAY: But, Steve, despite the urgency, or apparent urgency by most of these legislators, it would not go into effect for another year or two, right? It has to take another year before it goes to the voters?

COOPER: Yes, actually it's two years before it goes to the voters. Basically the way the process would work is they would have to approve something this year, then the lawmakers would have to approve it again next year. Then it would go to voters here in Massachusetts for some sort of a statewide vote, but that wouldn't be until the year 2006.

And what's so confusing about all of this is as of May 17 here in Massachusetts, that's when same-sex couples have been given the green light to begin getting married and that's what they plan to do. So basically it's a showdown here at the State House and no one seems to know which way it's headed.

CALLAWAY: All right. Thank you very much, Steve. Steve Cooper for -- from WHDH. Good morning to you, Steve.

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