New Hampshire's legislature on Wednesday passed a bill that would make the northeastern state the sixth in the country to allow same-sex marriage.
The lower house passed the bill by a simple majority. The upper house has already passed the same draft law.
Governor John Lynch, a Democrat, must now sign or veto the bill. He has previously indicated that he wanted protection for religious groups opposing gay marriage, something legislators said is achieved in the bill.
In a statement after the vote, the lower house said the bill "distinguishes between civil and religious marriage and says that any two individuals have a right to a civil marriage. It also leaves it up to each religion whether to recognize and officiate over same-sex marriages."
In April after a vote in the state senate, Lynch said he recognized the issue was "intensely passionate and personal, and raises strong emotions on all sides."
Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont allow gay marriage. New York's state lower house has approved a bill and the upper house is considering the issue.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
