The American Bar Association (ABA), the country’s leading legal organization, yesterday adopted Resolution 111, which “urges state, territorial and tribal governments to eliminate all of their legal barriers to civil marriage between two persons of the same sex who are otherwise eligible to marry.”
In their discussion before the ABA’s House of Delegates, which sets policy for the association, several ABA leaders spoke in favor of (with only one opposed to) the resolution. Former ABA President Robert J. Gray said, “Denial of civil marriage to same-sex couples harms them and their families, excluding them from critical legal protections that married persons take for granted.”
Tommy Wells, another former ABA president, added, “Our citizens of the same sex who are being denied the right to a civil marriage are only seeking to participate in an equal basis in a foundational institution of our civil life. They simply want to share in the legal blessings that we give to married couples. It can only strengthen marriage.”
Sounds like the lawyers get it.
According to this article published yesterday in the ABA Journal, the House of Delegates consistently favors equal legal rights for gays and lesbians, including last August’s recommendation to repeal Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denies legally married same-sex couples the host of federal benefits that accompany civil marriage.
