| Revision as of 20:30, 3 December 2003 editEd Poor (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers59,217 edits Here's ONE THING he got right, anyway← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:55, 6 December 2003 edit undoDpbsmith (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users30,940 edits WRFA sponsor, along with liberals such as John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, and Hillary CLintonNext edit → | ||
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| Santorum, a conservative, is the author of the failed ] which attempted to relativize the teaching of biological ] 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. | Santorum, a conservative, is the author of the failed ] which attempted to relativize the teaching of biological ] 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. | ||
| Rick Santorum and John Kerry (D-MA) are the lead sponsors of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, (“WRFA”), which would require employers to accommodate the religious observances of their employees as long as providing such accommodations will not impose an “undue hardship” upon the employer. Thus, employers would be encouraged to afford employees flexible work shifts so that they may observe religious holy days and permit employees to wear religiously required garb at work. (Versions of the WRFA have been introduced in 1997, 2000, and 2003 but so far have failed to pass). | |||
| ==Statement about sodomy law== | ==Statement about sodomy law== | ||
Revision as of 23:55, 6 December 2003
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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.
Legislation
Santorum co-sponsored the National Museum of African American History and Culture bill, which passed the Senate unanimously.
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.
Rick Santorum and John Kerry (D-MA) are the lead sponsors of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, (“WRFA”), which would require employers to accommodate the religious observances of their employees as long as providing such accommodations will not impose an “undue hardship” upon the employer. Thus, employers would be encouraged to afford employees flexible work shifts so that they may observe religious holy days and permit employees to wear religiously required garb at work. (Versions of the WRFA have been introduced in 1997, 2000, and 2003 but so far have failed to pass).
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.