Md. Senate passes same-sex marriage bill

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Maryland's Senate passed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to wed, sending the measure to the House of Delegates for consideration.

The House is nearly evenly split on the issue, The Washington Post reported.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, pledged to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.

If the bill becomes law, Maryland would join five other states and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex couples to marry.

In a recent interview, O'Malley said his Catholic beliefs provided the foundation for much of what he does in public life.

"The vocation I've chosen for these last several years has been a vocation that requires one to be of service to others in an arena of compromise," he told the Post. "It is a different vocation than the vocation that a bishop or a cardinal chooses to fulfill, and rightfully so."

Maryland Catholic Conference Executive Director Mary Ellen Russell said she was dismayed by the debate and O'Malley's decision to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law. The state Catholic conference is a leading opponent of same-sex marriage.

"It's always troubling when someone in such a public position openly disagrees with the church," Russell said, calling defeat of the legislation "a critically important issue for the church."