Same-sex marriage decision personal for lawmakers

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill to legalize same-sex marriage is in the hands of Governor Chris Gregoire. It passed the Washington House Wedesday with a 55-43 vote. During the three-hour debate, many lawmakers shared their own personal stories.

Democrat Jamie Pedersen, who is openly gay, spoke of how same-sex marriage would affect his own family.

"I would like for our four children to grow up understanding that their daddy and their papa have made that kind of a life-long commitment to each other," Pedersen says. "Marriage is the word that we use in our society to convey that idea."

Opponents like Republican Norma Smith said this debate has caused her to reflect on her own marriage and what it meant to the young people she has mentored.

"One of the things I thought of was the years that my late husband and I spent in youth work," she says. "We had the joy of sharing the beauty of traditional marriage as it ought to be."

Governor Chris Gregoire says she will sign the proposal into law. She has five days to do that.

Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network

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