Senate blocks gay marriage vote

A proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as a union between a woman and a man was blocked by the Senate Wednesday. Fifty senators voted against the amendment, which seeks to place a federal ban on gay marriage. Forty-eight senators voted in favor, but they were unable to muster the required 60 votes needed to advance the measure to a formal vote. \nThe presumed Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry and his running mate Sen. John Edwards were on the campaign trail and did not return to the capital to participate in the vote. Both senators oppose gay marriage but support the concept of civil unions for gay couples.\nSenior Darryl Smith said he did not support the constitutional amendment proposal.\n"Marriage is something that is sacred," Smith said. "Some people view it as a union between man and woman. Some people view it as two people that are in love."\nDemocrat leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said gay marriage laws should be delegated to the state legislators and not subject to a constitutional amendment.\nSouth Dakota is one of 38 states that ban gay marriage.\nThe proposal had been brought to the Senate by conservative lawmakers following a ruling in May by the Massachusetts Supreme Court to grant marriage certificates to gay couples. San Francisco also issues marriage licenses to gay couples.\nThere are current lawsuits in the state courts of Florida, Nebraska, New Jersey and Oregon challenging the states to permit gay marriage.\nSenior Saundra Edgell said she supported gay marriage.\n"You are telling a whole group of people that their love is not valid and that their feelings for each other are not real," Edgell said. "The point of marriage is love."\nPresident Bush supports the movement to place a federal ban on gay marriage. According to a White House transcript of President Bush's weekly radio address July 10, while referring to the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling, Bush said, "When judges insist on imposing their arbitrary will on the people, the only alternative left to the people is an amendment to the Constitution -- the only law a court cannot overturn."\nSenior Jeff Kirwan said the amendment would be discriminatory to gay people. \n"(Being gay) is not something you choose to do," Kirwan said. "It is who you are."\nSenate Majority Leader Bill Frist, (R-Tenn.) said he would continue to push for the amendment. Six Republican senators voted against the amendment proposal Wednesday. \nTwo-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representative are needed to advance a constitutional amendment proposal which is then presented to state legislatures. Formal ratification of a constitutional amendment then requires three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures to vote in favor of the amendment.\n-- Contact Nation & World Editor Rami Chami at rchami@indiana.edu. The Associated Press contributed to this report.