Connecticut today became the third state to extend the same rights to same-sex marriages as those that apply to straight couples.

The state Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision that Connecticut's previously approved civil unions are unconstitutional and discriminatory. The dissenting opinion argued that the "regulation of procreation," which it said includes defining marriage as a union between a man and woman, should be left to the state legislature instead of the courts.

Vice Presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden touched on a similar discourse during their debate last week: whether or not granting marital rights to gay couples amounts to the redefinition of "marriage," and which body of government, if any, should be charged with deciding this.

Gay marriage is legal in California and Massachussetts. New York honors out-of-state unions but does not grant them, and Vermont and New Jersey grants certain rights through civil unions between same-sex individuals.