TOPEKA, Kan., April 6 (UPI) -- Kansas has become the 18th state to ban gay marriage in its constitution.
About 70 percent of those who voted in Tuesday's election approved the constitutional amendment, the Kansas City Star reported.
Alabama, South Dakota and Tennessee have votes scheduled for 2006, and bills are pending in 14 other states to put such a measure on the ballot, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Kansas amendment is one of the broadest adopted in any state because it goes beyond limiting marriage to one man and one woman. It states: "No relationship, other than a marriage, shall be recognized by the state as entitling the parties to the rights or incidents of marriage."
Critics of the language say it could complicate rights and benefits for homosexual and unmarried heterosexual couples in arrangements such as civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proponents say the ban will not impact heterosexuals.
