BATON ROUGE - A lawmaker fears Louisiana's domestic violence protections could be declared unconstitutional if his colleagues refuse to widen the safeguards to include same-sex couples.

Rep. Patrick Connick wants to remove the requirement that a victim be of the opposite sex of the alleged offender to be considered a victim of domestic violence.

The Marrero Republican's bill narrowly passed the House, but fell six votes short Tuesday in the Senate. Seven senators were absent, including five Democrats.

Because the U.S. Supreme Court has legalized gay marriage, Connick says same-sex couples should be receiving equal protections. If they aren't, Connick says the protections could be nullified, a move that would endanger women and children.

Connick believes enough senators will change their votes upon realizing the possible ramifications of quashing the measure.