Puerto Rico amnedment would block same-sex unions

Puerto Rico amendment would block same-sex unions
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rican lawmakers are expected to soon take up a proposal that would block any attempt to permit same-sex marriages in the U.S. island territory. Resolution 99, which would authorize a public referendum on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, has passed in the Senate and will be taken up in the House of Representatives during the legislative session that begins Monday. The measure, which does not require the signature of the governor, is expected to pass although the date of the vote remains undetermined. Critics say the proposal would also prevent Puerto Rican lawmakers from adopting any measures to allow civil unions between men and women or to grant them the same legal status as married couples. Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila last week criticized the proposal as unnecessary, because local laws already establish that marriage is only between a man and a woman.