The much anticipated destruction of marriage predicted by the likes of Maggie Gallagher, Pat Robertson and their cronies has not only failed to materialize, but the divorce rate has plunged to a 30-year low and the number of marriages in the nation's corn capital has reached a 10-year high. So says an article in the Sioux City Journal:
Preliminary vital records compiled by state officials indicate 21,139 marriages occurred in Iowa last year - the most since 2000 and the first increase since 2005. The 1,573 jump in marriages over 2008 included the first-ever same-gender unions that took place statewide after the Iowa Supreme Court overturned a state law that defined marriage as only between one man and one woman.
Separate data from state health officials for the period from April 27, 2009, through last March 31 indicated that 2,020 same-sex couples - 728 male partners and 1,292 female partners -- were married during that time span while 16,869 opposite-gender marriages were recorded. Records were not available solely for the 2009 calendar year.
Justin Uebelhor of One Iowa, the state's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, said the landmark Iowa court ruling triggered a spike in same-sex marriages as couples with Iowa ties or partners with no previous Iowa connection took advantage of the newly created legal status to tie the knot. "There are quite a few couples that I've seen getting married this summer - your typical wedding season," he added.
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