Pa. County Would Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Officials in the third-largest county in Pennsylvania have agreed to issue same-sex marriage licenses, despite a state law that bans the practice.
D. Bruce Hanes, the register of wills in Montgomery County, says he wants to come down "on the right side of history and the law."
Hanes had been prepared to issue a license Tuesday to two women who contacted him last week.
However, the women changed their minds following a discussion Tuesday morning with the Americans Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which has a separate lawsuit pending to challenge the state law.
Lawyer Michael Diamondstein represents the would-be newlyweds, two doctors in their 40s.
He says that they decided "today is not the day," because of fears the marriage would be overturned. But he says they still hope to marry in Pennsylvania.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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