Maine Governor John E. Baldacci signed into law on Wednesday a bill that legalizes same-sex marriage in that state. Maine will become the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage, along with Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont. It's the second to do so through a legislative effort as opposed to the courts.

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Governor Baldacci said in a statement. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."