As the same-sex marriage debate rages in conservative states, Alabama is getting closer to its own solution: stop issuing marriage licenses altogether.
A bill moving through the legislature would do just that,
AL.com reports. It wouldn't force Alabamians to "live in sin," but rather would allow them to declare themselves married without having to get the approval of county officials.
Instead of issuing marriage licenses, couples would simply fill out marriage contracts – be they same-sex or opposite sex – that probate judges in the state would then file in the state's official records.
The legislature is currently in special session to tackle its budget crisis. Since the marriage contract bill was not designated by the governor a reason for the special session, the bill would require a two-thirds vote to pass.
Gay rights groups and the American Civil Liberties Union still oppose the bill, calling it a "ham-handed solution in search of a non-existent problem,"
Reason.com reports.
"Apparently now that they've won, they forgot why the entire marriage battle happened in the first place," Reason's Scott Shackford wrote. " That's what actual liberty looks like — you telling the government that you're married, not the other way around."
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