It's a tragic day for the state of Vermont, for the Senate has ignored the will of the people.  But it's an even sadder day for the state of marriage, for the Senate action today was a direct assault on this sacred institution.
-Janet Parshall of the Family Research Council

The Vermont bill legalizing homosexual "civil unions" appears ready to become law.  As a result, the institution of marriage will undoubtedly begin to erode in this small but significant northeastern state.

While proponents of Vermont's civil unions legislation say it will not be the same as marriage, it is difficult to find any significant differences between the way the bill was written and the way traditional marriage is defined by law.  Homosexual couples will first get a license from their town clerk - just like a couple getting married.  Then, the gay partners will have their "union" certified by a judge or member of the clergy - again, just like a couple getting married.

As soon as the civil union is certified, the couple is eligible for all the state's benefits available to married people, including some tax breaks and the ability to make medical decisions for their partners.

Gay couples in Vermont will not be entitled to receive any federal spousal benefits in areas like taxes and Social Security.  And while each state must recognize marriages created in another, federal law allows states to not recognize same-sex unions.  So we must ask ourselves: Should we allow the implications of Vermont's legislation to spread into other states?

To anti-family activists, Vermont is the first step on the road toward legalizing gay marriage nationwide.  As Republican state Senator John Crowley asked, "If this bill passed, would it have the tendency to encourage homosexuality?"  The answer is an unqualified Yes.

That's exactly what Beth Robinson, a Vermont attorney who took her arguments supporting gay marriage to court, admitted to the Washington Post.  "If this keeps moving," Robinson said, "this is going to be the first of many states in this country where gay and lesbian couples are recognized as families deserving of respect and of the protection of the laws, and that's a big step."

Clearly, it's now up to Congress and the governors of the other 49 states to keep the impact of Vermont's decision from spreading.  Homosexual civil unions should not have been allowed in the state, but it is even more important that this mistake is not allowed to spread beyond Vermont's borders.