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US Court rules on gay rights

05 July 2013

SHARON SHERIDAN/ENS

Sign language: Bishop Andrew Dietsche rides on a float in the New York Pride March on Sunday.

Sign language: Bishop Andrew Dietsche rides on a float in the New York Pride March on Sunday.

A LANDMARK Supreme Court ruling on the rights of gay married couples has been welcomed by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori, and other bishops.

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday of last week that the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) was discriminatory. DOMA, which came into force in 1996, denies federal entitlements, such as tax and pension benefits, to same-sex couples who have married in the 13 states where gay marriage is lawful. The Supreme Court did not rule, however, on whether gay people have a constitutional right to marry, meaning that gay marriage remains unlawful in more than 30 states.

The Court also declined to rule on Proposition 8, a law prohibiting gay marriage in California. This lets stand a lower-court ruling that the ban is unconstitutional.

Dr Jefferts Schori said in a statement issued after the ruling that the Episcopal Church "has taken the position that neither federal nor state governments should create constitutional prohibitions that deny full civil rights and protections to gay and lesbian persons, including those available to different-sex couples through the civic institution of marriage.

"Accordingly, I welcome today's decision of the United States Supreme Court. . . The unmistakable movement toward civil marriage equality in the states over the past decade reflects the will of the people in those states to grant equal rights and dignity under the law to all married couples and families, and today's decision will appropriately allow those families to be recognized under federal law as well.

"At the same time, the Court's withholding of judgment on the ultimate constitutional question of whether a state may ban same-sex marriage reflects the fact that this conversation will continue to evolve in coming years."

The Court's ruling was welcomed by other Episcopalian bishops. The Bishop of Washington, the Rt Revd Mariann Edgar Budde, said on Wednesday: "Scripture teaches us that God shows no partiality. Today our country has moved closer to this vision of equality and unity."

The Vice-President of the National Association of Evangelicals, Galen Carey, said: "The Supreme Court had the opportunity to uphold both marriage and democracy, and it did neither. The Supreme Court also did not unilaterally create a new right to redefine marriage. Instead, the Court has allowed the conversation on marriage to continue."

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