Senator Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who has emerged as one of her party’s more moderate members in the Senate, said Wednesday that she supports same-sex marriage.
She becomes only the third Republican in the Senate to do so.
In a lengthy op-ed posted on her Web site, Ms. Murkowski said that what helped change her mind on the issue was getting to know a lesbian couple from Alaska. They were a family in every sense but one, Ms. Murkowski wrote. They adopted four children. They stayed together after enduring a separation because one of them served abroad in the Alaska National Guard.
“Yet despite signing up and volunteering to give themselves fully to these four adorable children, our government does not meet this family halfway and allow them to be legally recognized as spouses,†Ms. Murkowski wrote. “This first-class Alaskan family still lives a scond-class existence.â€
With the Supreme Court set to decide a pair of same-sex marriage cases as early as next week, Ms. Murkowski said, she felt compelled to speak up. She follows two fellow Republicans, Senators Mark Kirk of Illinois and Rob Portman of Ohio, in supporting same-sex marriage. Mr. Portman announced his support in March after his son revealed to him that he is gay.
As Mr. Portman did, Ms. Murkowski articulated a conservative case for same-sex marriage, noting that the government should stay out of the private lives of loving couples while promoting the societal benefits of couples wedded by law.
“I recently read an interview where Ronald Reagan’s daughter said that she believes he would have supported same-sex marriage, that he would think ‘What difference does it make to anybody else’s life?’ †she wrote. “Like Reagan, Alaskans believe that gov! ernment works best when it gets out of the way.â€
Alaska’s Democratic senator, Mark Begich, said in March that he supports same-sex marriage. Mr. Begich is up for re-election next year.
