Iowa marriage ruling good for business

DES MOINES, Iowa, April 5 (UPI) -- A university study predicts the Iowa Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage will result in a financial windfall for The Hawkeye State.

The court's unanimous ruling Friday overturned a decade-old ban on same-sex marriage, making Iowa the third state where gay marriage is legal.

Unlike Connecticut and Massachusetts, which also permit gay marriage, Iowa has no nearby competitors -- meaning businesses could see $160 million in new spending during the next three years, a University of California at Los Angeles study concluded.

Being in the middle of states that have many same-sex couples means Iowa could draw an estimated 55,000 out-of-state couples who spend money on weddings and tourism-related activities, the study said.

Advocates for same-sex marriage celebrated the ruling as a breakthrough for civil rights, while conservative critics called the ruling an attack on traditional marriage and said the court overstepped its authority, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register reported Sunday.