Religion & Law

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ? State agencies in Maryland should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states until the legislature or courts decide otherwise, Maryland?s attorney general said Wednesday in a long-awaited legal opinion.

The opinion by Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler concluded that the state?s highest court was likely to rule that legal same-sex marriages in other states are valid in Maryland. But, he said, the matter ?is not free from all doubt.?

Maryland law defines marriage as being between a man and woman, and the state is one of six that do not specifically address the validity of same-sex marriages from other states.

While the opinion does not change the law, it can guide state officials. The attorney general?s office would defend a state agency in court for recognizing a same-sex marriage from another state.

Proposed legislation explicitly stating that same-sex marriages performed in other states would not be recognized in Maryland has not made it through the General Assembly.

Measures to allow same-sex marriages have also failed, but Maryland lawmakers have extended protections to same-sex couples.

For example, domestic partners who own homes together are exempt from the state inheritance tax. Members of same-sex couples are permitted to make medical and burial decisions for each other and are eligible for tax benefits that married people get when transferring property.