Marriage amendment fails vote despite push from religious leaders

Published: 2006-06-07

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Just two days after religious leaders and the president renewed their support for it, a bill that would amend the Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman failed June 7 in a procedural vote in the Senate. What is known as a cloture vote to end debate and bring the bill to the floor fell 11 votes short of the 60 needed to get past cloture; the tally was 49-48. Cloture votes are often referred to as "test votes" because they tend to signal how much support a bill has, although they don't always exactly mirror final votes on the legislation itself. Beyond a cloture vote, the measure would have to pass with a two-thirds majority, or 66 votes, to move it out of the Senate. The House has not taken up its parallel legislation. At a June 5 event, President George W. Bush called on the Senate to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment, and Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali said the vote was "an opportunity which should not be squandered."

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .