Same-sex marriage advances in Vermont

MONTPELIER, Vt., March 23 (UPI) -- The Vermont Senate voted 26-4 Monday in favor of a bill to make same-sex marriage legal in the state.

It was the second of three required readings of the bill needed for final approval by the legislative body. However, the Senate is likely to approve the bill when it comes up again Tuesday, the Burlington (Vt.) Free Press reported Monday.

A similar bill is to be taken up Tuesday in the House, with testimony scheduled in the Judiciary Committee. A full vote on the House measure is not expected before next week, the newspaper said.

Supporters say the bill would allow the state to confer benefits not given by civil unions, which Vermont adopted in a landmark bill in 2000. The Rev. Craig Bensen, president of an organization that opposes gay marriage, argued that legalizing same-sex marriage would violate the "right of children to be raised by their biological parents."