The Liberian Senate has unanimously approved a bill that prohibits same-sex marriages and makes any violation of the measure a second-degree felony.

The bill approved Thursday amended Liberia's Domestic Relations Law.

Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor, wife of former President Charles Taylor and sponsoer of the bill, thanked her colleagues for the passage of the legislation she said will strengthen marriage between a man and woman.

She clarified that the measure was not an anti-gay/lesbian bill like one currently being debated in the House.

"Because there are people who are homosexual that continue to do whatever they want to do. My bill seeks to ensure the fact that people of the same sex under our law should not be allowed to get married," she told Xinhua.

"I am concerned that our country does not degenerate into seeing people of the same sex getting married, and to me that is critical," she added.