Dueling marriage bills in Penn.

Pennsylvania has become the latest same-sex marriage battleground, with the legislature being pushed to pass both a marriage equality bill and one that would bar gays from marrying.

Sen. Daylin Leach (D) announced the marriage equality bill on Wednesday.

“There has never been a more propitious time for Pennsylvania to embrace equality and enshrine the civil right of all Pennsylvanians to marry,” Leach told reporters.

The bill would provide “full and equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in Pennsylvania,” said Leach. But it would not force churches to conduct ceremonies or recognize same-sex marriages against church doctrine.

The legislation also would recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other areas where they are legal.

Earlier this month, Republican state Sen. John Eichelberger filed a bill to amend the state constitution to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

The state already has a so-called Defense of Marriage law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples, but Eichelberger said the law could be overturned by a judge. Only through a constitutional amendment could the intent of the law be carried out without “judicial interference.”

A similar proposed amendment was pulled last year, just hours before the state Senate was expected to approve it. The measure would have banned same-sex marriage and civil unions.

While it was likely to pass the Senate, the amendment was equally likely to have died in the House. An attempt to move the amendment in 2006 also failed.

Republicans control the Senate 30-20, but Democrats have a 104-99 majority in the House.

Amending the constitution requires approval from both the House and Senate in two consecutive two-year sessions before the measure goes to voters for final approval in a statewide referendum.

Last year, a poll found that although most Pennsylvanians oppose same-sex marriage, there was widespread support for civil unions. The poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, found 65 percent of those questioned support civil unions, while only 27 percent were opposed.