New Hampshire is poised to become the fourth state to adopt civil unions, after Gov. John Lynch said yesterday that he will sign legislation establishing unions for same-sex couples. Lynch's announcement ended weeks of speculation about his position and paved the way for the bill's passage.

"I believe it is a matter of conscience, fairness and preventing discrimination," Lynch told the Associated Press in an interview. Before yesterday, Lynch hadn't said whether he would sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature. Earlier this month, Lynch questioned whether civil unions might affect existing statutes and said that he hadn't "decided on this issue."

The Senate - which has a Democratic majority - is expected to pass the bill next week. Earlier this month, the House voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to create civil unions. The law would take effect Jan. 1.

"We'll have a good debate on it, I'm sure," said Senate President Sylvia Larsen, a Concord Democrat who supports civil unions. "But once your eyes are opened to the discrimination that actually exists out there, it's hard to close your eyes." Republican and Democratic senators alike have said that the bill has enough support to pass.

Civil-union supporters heralded Lynch's decision, calling the move a historic step towards equality for same-sex couples. "We were one of the first states to oppose slavery, we were one of the first states to support suffrage for women," said Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley. "This is just one more step in the New Hampshire tradition," added Buckley, who is gay.

But opponents seized on Lynch's announcement as evidence of what they described as a liberal agenda out of touch with New Hampshire voters. Democrats swept November's elections, winning control of the House, Senate and the corner office for the first time since the 19th century.

"The whole issue is another sign that the Democrats are going too far too fast and over-reading their mandate from the election last fall," said Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen. "It's also a sign that Governor Lynch is unwilling or unable to restrain the left wing of his party."

In addition to civil unions, Cullen criticized Democrats for supporting what he terms a "flood of left-wing legislation," such as banning smoking in restaurants and bars. The creation of civil unions would "energize and activate" the Republican base, added Cullen, who predicted that "there will be many legislators who do not return to Concord in 2009."

If passed, the bill would allow same-sex couples to enter into unions with the same "rights, responsibilities and obligations" as heterosexual marriage. The bill would also recognize same-sex partnerships granted elsewhere; when couples visit New Hampshire, the state would treat their partnerships like civil unions, as long as their relationships don't break state law. The bill also outlines how the unions could be dissolved.

The bill is in line with New Hampshire's "live and let live" attitude, said Sen. Joe Foster, a Nashua Democrat. "I'm glad our state is moving in this direction without the threat of a court case or pending order," Foster said. Unlike Connecticut and New Hampshire, Vermont and New Jersey created their civil unions laws in response to court decisions.

But opponents described civil unions as a threat to New Hampshire tradition and to the institution of marriage. The bill's passage could spur lawsuits that might force the state to create same-sex marriage, said opponents, who also took issue with the bill's recognition of out-of-state same-sex partnerships.

"Traditional marriage is at risk," said Sen. Robert Letourneau, a Derry Republican. "It's about how society was built and how children are born and raised. It's about the fabric of our society."

Other opponents said that partnership rights should apply to all people. "At the very least, civil unions should be available to all committed couples, whether or not they are of the same gender," said House Republican Leader Mike Whalley, of Alton Bay, in a statement yesterday.

The bill's supporters, however, dismissed concerns that civil unions would harm heterosexual marriage, and emphasized the distinction between civil unions and same-sex marriage. The bill, they said, would simply provide long-overdue legal rights to same-sex couples.

"If you look at the experiences of other states, it has no effect on the marriage of others," Larsen said.

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