Iowa Supreme Court: Gay marriage ban unconstitutional

Great thorough article from USA Today. Full text is here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-03-iowa-gay-marriage_N.htm?csp=34

clipped from www.usatoday.com DES MOINES — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld gays' rights to marry, saying the state's same-sex marriage ban violates constitutional rights. "The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution," the court wrote in a summary of their decision. The decision makes Iowa the third state where gay marriage is legal, behind Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Iowa court affirmed a 2007 Polk County District Court decision that would allow six gay couples to marry. The ruling is viewed as a victory for the gay rights movement in Iowa and elsewhere, and a setback for conservatives who want to protect traditional families.