The Illinois state senate adjourned on Thursday before voting on a bill that seeks to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. However, in an 8-5 vote the Senate Executive Committee decided to push bill to the floor for voting. The 8-5 vote is indicative of the partisan support for legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the reason the senate refrained from voting on the bill on Thursday was because of the unwavering campaign of the Catholic Conference of Illinois and Cardinal Francis George, both of whom ardently oppose the legislation.
Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki told the Chicago Tribune, "Neither two men nor two women can possibly form a marriage...the law would be wrong if it said that they could."
The Illinois House is led by democrats, who tend to support the legislation. However, Republican state senator Christine Radogno told Reuters that if the language in the bill was altered, it would likely garner support from Republican senators as well.
Same-sex marriage has become a potent domestic issue, an issue that in the words of the outspoken politician Newt Gingrich is "inevitable." In an interview with Huffington Post, Gingrich -a supporter of traditional marriage, said "members from the Republican simply must deal with reality... The reality is going to be that in a number of American states - and it will be more after 2014 - gay relationships will be legal, period."
The topic of same-sex marriage has reached such attention that even President Barrack Obama went on to voice his support for it, urging the Supreme Court to take up Massachusetts' Defense of Marriage Act case. This was the first time in the country's history that a president officially voiced support for same-sex marriage.
Currently, nine states in the country legally permit same-sex marriage.