Statement from Freedom Indiana on removal of second sentence from divisive HJR-3 marriage amendment
INDIANAPOLIS — Freedom Indiana campaign manager Megan Robertson issued this statement following tonight’s 52-43 vote on the Indiana House floor to remove the second sentence of HJR-3, the divisive marriage amendment that would duplicate existing state law and permanently destroy legal protections for same-sex couples and their families.
The second sentence would prohibit civil unions, domestic partnerships and endanger health benefits, hospital visitation, human rights ordinances, and other legal protections currently available to same-sex couples in Indiana.
Today’s vote comes after House Speaker Brian Bosma unilaterally moved the amendment from one committee to another last week to ensure its passage.
“Stripping the deeply flawed second sentence makes a bad amendment better, but we believe this amendment, in any form, has no place in our state’s founding document.
“Still, we are incredibly grateful to lawmakers for removing this dangerous language from the amendment and standing up for gay and lesbian Hoosiers and their families. Today is a victory for the thousands of Hoosiers across our state who’ve shared their stories at the Statehouse and made it clear that HJR-3 does not reflect our shared values.”
“We will continue to work hard to make sure the amendment stays off the November ballot. That’s not the place to have this conversation, and it never will be.”
