Former Pennsylvania Senator and 2012
presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says opposition to gay rights is
“common sense,” RightWingWatch.org first reported.
In a videotaped interview with CNS News
editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey, the former lawmaker said he opposes
gay marriage and the adoption of children by gay men and lesbians.
When asked whether the state had
“violated” the rights of a child who had been placed with a gay
couple, Santorum said, “I would say that the state is doing a
disservice to that child.”
“But what I can say is that the state
is not doing a service to the child and to society by not putting
that child in a home where there is a mother and a father.”
“This is common sense. This is
nature. And what we're trying to do is defy nature because a certain
group of people want to be affirmed by society. And I just don't
think that's to the benefit of society or to the child.”
When pressed for a clarification,
Santorum answered, “I don't believe in same-sex adoption, nor do I
believe in same-sex marriage.” (The video is embedded in the right
panel of this page.)
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty,
another likely candidate for the GOP nomination, is also courting the
Republican base with anti-gay rhetoric. Pawlenty
is expected to meet with Iowa's largest anti-gay marriage group next
month.