Maryland governor signs same-sex ‘marriage’ bill as referendum clears first hurdle
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland , March 1, 2012 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) - The governor of Maryland has signed a new law extending the definition of marriage to include homosexual couples one day after opponents were given the green light to collect signatures for an initiative to put the marriage question to state voters . The bill was approved in a 25-22 Senate vote after only 48 hours of deliberation on Feb. 23, six days after it passed the House of Delegates. Gov. Martin O’Malley’s signature makes Maryland the seventh state to redefine marriage, in addition to the District of Columbia . Gov. Martin O'Malley Meanwhile, traditional marriage supporters have already made headway bringing the issue to voters: Mary Cramer Wagner, director of the board’s Voter Registration Division, told the Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that petition drafts filed by the Maryland Marriage Alliance and a Maryland delegate have been deemed compliant with state petition regulations. Traditional marriage supporters said...