State Senator Introduces Marriage Equality Legislation

State Senator Rebekah Warren has announced the introduction of legislation in the Senate to remove the ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan. Warren, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, says the legislation follows a new poll bu the Glengariff Group showing support for gay marriage now at 57 percent of Michigan voters, a 13-point jump from a year ago.

"The people of Michigan have spoken loud and clear, and they are fundamentally supportive of the idea that every person in our state should have the freedom to marry the person they love," said Warren. "This legislation will not only allow all couple to make a lifetime commitment to one another, but also extend important legal protections to them and their children."

State and federal marriage law provide a host of legal and economic protections for married couples and their children. Beyond the ability to marry, removing the ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan would ensure that same-sex couples have medical access in case of an emergency, and that both individuals could be legal parents to their adoptive children. Under current state law, only one individual, as part of an unmarried couple, can qualify as an adoptive parent.

Since the recent hearings by the U.S. Supreme Court, three states in the U.S. and three countries have approved same-sex unions, including Delaware, Minnesota, Rhode Island, France, Uruguay and New Zealand.