Massachusetts Vote Ties Civil Unions to Gay-Marriage Ban.

Byline: Rick Klein

Mar. 30--The Massachusetts Legislature voted yesterday to ban gay marriage and establish civil unions, approving a proposed constitutional amendment that would reverse the Supreme Judicial Court's historic ruling that legalized same-sex marriages.

Governor Mitt Romney immediately vowed to ask the court to block gay marriages until voters can decide the fate of the dual proposal in November 2006. The SJC decision legalizing gay marriages is set to go into effect May 17, and Romney said he wanted to avoid confusion that he believes would result if gay couples married and then the voters banned gay marriage.

"The Supreme Judicial Court should delay the imposition of its decision until the people have a chance to be heard," Romney said at a news conference shortly after last night's vote.

Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, however, said minutes later that he would not take Romney's request to the SJC. Reilly said he believed that Romney lacked a valid legal basis for a stay, because the SJC has ruled twice in favor of gay marriage.

The SJC ruling would make Massachusetts the first state to allow gay couples to marry. The proposed constitutional amendment, on the other hand, would ban gay marriage but make Massachusetts the second state, after Vermont, to legalize civil unions.

The Legislature narrowly approved the amendment, 105-92, after the fourth intense day of debate in the past six weeks. The vote was met with a stunned hush by the gay-marriage supporters in the House gallery. It would ban…