| Revision as of 23:33, 27 November 2003 editDaniel Quinlan (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Administrators17,849 edits NPOV, see talk← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:53, 27 November 2003 edit undoDaniel Quinlan (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Administrators17,849 edits move paragraph (comments from people before Santorum's response), use Howard Dean since his comments got much greater coverage, also mention positive remarks in addition to the neutral and negativeNext edit → | ||
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| The following day, ] as well as gay rights groups demanded an apology. The ] (DSCC) called on Santorum to step down as chairman of the ]. | The following day, ] as well as gay rights groups demanded an apology. The ] (DSCC) called on Santorum to step down as chairman of the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Santorum's comments evoked responses ranging from George W. Bush's remark, relayed through a spokesperson, that "the president believes that the senator is an inclusive man", to sharp criticism from ] that "gay-bashing is not a legitimate public policy discussion; it is immoral", to conservative groups such as the ] and ] who came to Santorum's defense. | ||
| ⚫ | Santorum did not |
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| ⚫ | Santorum did not back down from his remarks, stating that his comments were not intended to equate homosexuality with incest and adultery, but rather as a critique of a specific legal position: that the right to privacy prevents the government from regulating consensual acts among adults. Something close to this position was in fact later adopted by the US Supreme Court in '']''. | ||
| ⚫ | Santorum's comments evoked responses ranging from George W. Bush's remark, relayed through a spokesperson, that "the president believes that the senator is an inclusive man", to sharp criticism from |
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| ==External link== | ==External link== | ||
Revision as of 23:53, 27 November 2003
Richard John "Rick" Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is a Republican U.S. Senator representing Pennsylvania. Among other responsibilities, he is the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number three job in the party's leadership.
Santorum, a conservative, is the author of the failed Santorum Amendment which attempted to relativize the teaching of biological evolution in U.S. public schools. The Senate passed a weaker non-binding version of the amendment, which two Ohio Congressmen have invoked to suggest that the state should include "intelligent design" or creationism in its science standards.
Detailed analysis of statement about sodomy law
In an interview with the Associated Press published April 20, 2003, Santorum made controversial comments regarding the then-upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which challenged a Texas sodomy law. "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home," Santorum said, "then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
The following day, Democrats as well as gay rights groups demanded an apology. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) called on Santorum to step down as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.
Santorum's comments evoked responses ranging from George W. Bush's remark, relayed through a spokesperson, that "the president believes that the senator is an inclusive man", to sharp criticism from Howard Dean that "gay-bashing is not a legitimate public policy discussion; it is immoral", to conservative groups such as the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America who came to Santorum's defense.
Santorum did not back down from his remarks, stating that his comments were not intended to equate homosexuality with incest and adultery, but rather as a critique of a specific legal position: that the right to privacy prevents the government from regulating consensual acts among adults. Something close to this position was in fact later adopted by the US Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas.