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WASHINGTON, December 14, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An attempt by liberal lawmakers to repeal laws prohibiting sodomy and bestiality in the military has been defeated, the Family Research Council reported Tuesday.

Lawmakers removed a repeal of Article 125 in the Uniform Code of Military Justice in this year’s Defense Authorization Bill, which had passed the Senate last week, while finalizing the language out of conference, according to FRC.

Article 125 states: “(a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense. (b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

Congressional aides had hinted to media last week that the repeal was not likely to survive.

Among allies against the repeal was People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which bashed White House press secretary Jay Carney for laughing off a question about the issue, and urged Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to recognize the societal need for such a ban.

“Animal abuse does not affect animals only—it is also a matter of public safety, as people who abuse animals very often go on to abuse human beings,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.