by Ray Marcham, KOMO Communities Reporter
An Everett attorney has filed an initiative with the state Secretary of State's office to for a vote on what constitutes marriage in Washington.
Stephen Pidgeon filed the initiative, which he calls the "Marriage is Between One Man and One Woman Act", on Monday. It would look to overturn any bill passed by the state legislature that would allow same-sex marriages.
According to the Secretary of State's Office, Pidgeon is an attorney of Protect Marriage Washington, the group that put Referendum 71 on the ballot in 2009 to try and overturn a law that allowed dometic partnership rights to be extended to same-sex and elderly couples. Voters kept the law in place by a 53%-47% margin.
A copy of the proposed intiative, in a Word format, is on the Secretary of State's website.
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AN ACT Relating to reaffirming the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman; amending RCW 26.04.010 and 26.04.020; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OFWASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. This act reaffirms the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Sec. 2. RCW 26.04.010 and 1998 c 1 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Marriage is a civil contract between ((a male)) one man and ((a female)) one woman who have each attained the age of eighteen years, and who are otherwise capable.
(2) Every marriage entered into in which either the husband or the wife has not attained the age of seventeen years is void except where this section has been waived by a superior court judge of the county in which one of the parties resides on a showing of necessity.
Sec. 3. RCW 26.04.020 and 1998 c 1 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Marriages in the following cases are prohibited:
(a) When either party thereto has a wife or husband living at the time of such marriage;
(b) When the husband and wife are nearer of kin to each other than second cousins, whether of the whole or half blood computing by the rules of the civil law; or
(c) When the parties are persons other than ((a male)) one man and ((a female)) one woman.
(2) It is unlawful for any man to marry his father's sister, mother's sister, daughter, sister, son's daughter, daughter's daughter, brother's daughter or sister's daughter; it is unlawful for any woman to marry her father's brother, mother's brother, son, brother, son's son, daughter's son, brother's son or sister's son.
(3) A marriage between two persons that is recognized as valid in another jurisdiction is valid in this state only if the marriage is not prohibited or made unlawful under subsection (1)(a), (1)(c), or (2) of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act shall be cited as the marriage is between one man and one woman act.
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