The state represenative who introduced H.B. 148, LaVarr Christensen, is planning campaign to override the governor’s veto, according to a Salt Lake Tribune article in today’s news.
H.B. 148 was a bill designed to block same-sex couples’ ability to legally define their families through custody agreements.
Christensen, who is also running for U.S. Congress, introduced bills during the 2006 Utah Legislative Session, along with State Senator Chris Buttars, that were aimed at denying rights to gay and lesbian citizens of our state and were what I coined as “morality legislation”.
Stepparents and grandparents bombarded the governor’s office with phone calls and letters, afraid Christensen’s legislation could end up cutting them out of the lives of children they have raised. And Huntsman responded, rejecting the bill’s “undesirable consequences.”
Christensen insists the governor’s worries are unfounded. In an e-mail sent to his 103 colleagues last week, he urged lawmakers to remember his stated purpose. “This is a public policy decision regarding marriage, parenthood and family that is most appropriately decided by the legislature,” he wrote.
The Tribune article also mentions that Christensen did not return phone calls to the media inquiring about the issue.
This is clearly an attempt by a right-wing conservative to force one set of values on the whole of a population and waste taxpayers dollars by doing so instead of introducing legislation aimed at providing services for citizens.
What a waste.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 