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America's Leading Gay News Source
Rick Santorum: One law should govern marriage
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (Blade photo by Michael Key)
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum expressed continued support for the Federal Marriage Amendment on Thursday as he said other issues should come before marriage during the 2012 presidential election.
Santorum, who’s widely expected to be considering a run for the Republican nomination to become president, made the remarks to the Washington Blade during the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference in D.C.
The former Pennsylvania senator reiterated his support for a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in the context of saying one law should govern how marriage is handled in the United States.
“I was one of the authors of the Federal Marriage Amendment,” Santorum said. “I don’t think you can have varying laws on marriage. You run into, as we’re seeing, all sorts of problems about reciprocity between the states. This is an issue that there should be a law, the people should be able to decide it and hopefully that’s what will happen.”
During his tenure as a U.S. senator, Santorum voted in favor of the Federal Marriage in 2004 and 2006. In 1996, Santorum also voted “yes” on the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Santorum was ousted from his position as a U.S. senator in 2006 by current U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
As he reiterated his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, Santorum also said the economy and national security should precede marriage as a presidential issue in the 2012 election.
“The most important issue out there in the minds of the American public right now is the economy, and, increasingly, national security,” Santorum said. “And I think we have to address ourselves to those because those are the front-burner issues.”
But Santorum added social issues are important and should be a part of the Republican Party platform and public discussion “because they’re important to the country.”
“On economics, how can you have a strong economy if you don’t have strong families?” Santorum said. “If fathers don’t help raise their children and you have the effects of out-of-wedlock births and disintegration of the family — go into the neighborhoods where that is the most acute, and you’ll see a lot more government. You can’t have limited government without strong families and strong neighborhoods, and they so work together.”
Santorum also addressed the issue of marriage on Thursday during his CPAC speech when he admonished judges throughout the country for advancing marriage rights for gay couples.
“The judiciary cannot create life and it did not create marriage, and it has no right to redefine either one of them,” he said.
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa legalized same-sex marriage as a result of judicial order. Last year, federal judges ruled that DOMA and California’s Proposition 8 were unconstitutional.
Tagged with Conservative Political Action Conference, Federal Marriage Amendment, Rick Santorum, same-sex marriage
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Dear Santorum, and your like minded bigots, stick your bibles up your ass. Keep your god-damn religion out of my private life, you ridiculous fool.
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Of course the judiciary has every right to redefine marriage! What kind of idiot says something like that? Did the judiciary have the right to redefine human rights to allow women to vote? To make blacks “human”?
Particularly when the “definition” of marriage that the conservatives are promoting is a fiction. There is no such thing as “traditional” marriage. If they want to go “pure tradition”, then they better be ready to allow polygamy. “Traditional marriage” as described in the Bible is a financial accommodation. It has nothing to do with love, or family. It’s about protecting a man’s property, real estate, and his descendants.
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If you look in the dictionary under republicans
You find bigots, asshole,narrow minded fuckheads.
The hell with this idiot senator!!!
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When he was still a Senator he was voted by the staffers as one of the dumbest members of Congress. He was also one of the most sanctimonious. Maybe he should be called Rick Sanctamoron?
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Santorun said that we were all “created equal”, but he just doesn’t want us to be Treated Equally, as is prescribed under the US Constitution.
Additionally, If Marriage weren’t required under the law, then there Would Be No Need for a Constitutional Ammendment, now would there?
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In other words he is for state rights except when they interfere with his personal views.
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Exactly. Republican Debate Tactic #1 is to hold multiple mutually conflicting doctrines and choose the one that gives you the desired result in any situation.
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And that has what to do with us exactly? I thought that at least a little of the blame went to heterosexuals.
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