Ohio's domestic violence laws do not conflict with the state's ban on gay marriage, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
 
In a 6-1 decision, justices rejected an argument that the domestic violence law was unenforceable in cases involving unmarried couples because it refers to them as living together "as a spouse."

Chief Justice Thomas Moyer wrote in the opinion that lawmakers included many groups under the domestic violence law, and that describing people's living arrangements isn't the same as creating a law approximating marriage.

The gay marriage ban prohibited the government from creating any such approximation.

Twenty-seven states have constitutional language defining marriage as between a man and a woman, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In Indiana, opponents of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage had argued it would cause single people to lose protection under domestic violence laws. The amendment could be placed on the statewide ballot in 2008.