Yesterday, in a vote of 26 to 15, the Delaware state house approved S.B. 30, a bill that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions. The measure passed the Senate last week and now goes to Gov. Jack Markell (D), who has pledged to sign it. Proponents of the bill defeated nine amendments, before holding a final vote which elicited applause and cries of “thank you” from supporters gathered in the chamber. Listen:

“Parties who enter into a lawful civil union in Delaware, or whose legal union is recognized as a civil union under Delaware law, will have all of the same rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities as married persons under Delaware law,” the measure says. It will go into effect January 1.

Delaware will become the eighth state to offer civil unions or domestic partnerships to same-sex couples. Illinois and Hawaii enacted civil union legislation earlier this year and the recognition is also available in California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in five states, plus the District of Columbia.

A recent poll found that more than six out of ten Delaware voters — 62% — support civil unions.

The Delaware state House is expected to pass civil unions legislation today, sending the bill to Gov. Jack Markell (D) for his signature. The bill passed in the Senate last week and advanced further through the House Administration Committee yesterday. Meanwhile, opponents of the bill, led by Delaware Family Policy Council, are bombarding the state with messages about the supposed harmful effects of recognizing same-sex relationships on children and are even promoting harmful “ex-gay” rhetoric on their Facebook page.

Via Good As You’s Jeremy Hooper:

So-called “ex-gay” reparative therapy has long been discredited by professional medical associations. As Equality Delaware’s Lisa Goodman said in a statement to ThinkProgress, “Equality Delaware believes in peer reviewed research. In 2007 a task force of the American Psychological Association reviewed the existing research on so-called ‘reparative therapy’ and found that the results of scientifically valid research refute the statements on [Delaware Family Council President] Nicole Theis’ website. The AMA, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association oppose use of ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy.”

A recent poll found that more than six out of 10 Delaware voters — 62% — “favor allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions, which is twice the number who oppose such a law (31%).”

Yesterday, Delaware’s Senate Administration and Elections Committee approved a bill that would allow same-sex couples to enter civil unions that grant all of the same state benefits and obligations of marriage. The measure, which will receive a vote on the Senate floor in the coming days, passed unopposed as the committee’s two Republicans did not take positions on the bill and few elected Republicans have publicly denounced it. The majority of the opposition is being organized by the Delaware Family Policy Council.

Advocates on the ground tell ThinkProgress that the group has conducted a push poll campaign, from a D.C. number, relentlessly bombarding the state with messages about the supposed harmful effects of recognizing same-sex relationships. One such call warns residents that civil unions are a Trojan horse for same-sex marriage and that the measure would use taxpayer dollars to teach children that “it’s okay to have two moms and two dads.” The group echoes the message in this pamphlet on its website:

A recent poll found that more than six out of 10 Delaware voters — 62% — “favor allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions, which is twice the number who oppose such a law (31%).” If the bill passes the Senate, it will then move to the House and Delaware’s Governor Jack Markell has promised to sign the measure.