This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AxelBoldt (talk | contribs) at 22:23, 17 May 2003 (reason for his refusal to apologize; no polygamists complained). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:23, 17 May 2003 by AxelBoldt (talk | contribs) (reason for his refusal to apologize; no polygamists complained)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Rick Santorum (Richard John Santorum, born May 10, 1958) is a 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.
In an interview with the Associated Press published April 20, 2003, Santorum made contraversial comments regarding the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which challenges 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 refused to apologize, stating that his comments were intended as a critique of a specific legal strategy and not as an effort to equate homosexuality with incest and adultery.