Gov. set to reintroduce gay marriage bill

Gov. David Paterson (D-N.Y.) is set to reintroduce a bill Thursday that would legalize same-sex marriages in New York.The governor says he is pushing the bill because same-sex couples in civil unions

News 12 Staff

Apr 16, 2009, 1:42 PM

Updated 5,657 days ago

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Gov. David Paterson (D-N.Y.) is set to reintroduce a bill Thursday that would legalize same-sex marriages in New York.The governor says he is pushing the bill because same-sex couples in civil unions are denied 1,200 to 1,350 civil protections such as health care and pension rights since they're not married."The timing was always right. It's just who is willing to take that step, and I am," Paterson said. "I think it is, as other states are showing, the only ethical way to treat people who want to live together in peace under the civil law. So my general feeling about all these issues is the right ethical decision willinevitably be the right political decision."The measure is the same bill that died in 2007. The Democrat-controlled Assembly passed the bill 85-61 in 2007, but it died in the Senate, where the Republican majority kept it from going to a vote.AP wire services contributed to this report