Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken
Blackwell has claimed that President Barack Obama's endorsement of a
bill that would repeal a federal ban on gay marriage is an attempt to
kill marriage and proves he's no friend of the poor.
In an op-ed published at the Christian
website World,
Blackwell wrote that repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),
the 1996 law that bars federal agencies and the military from
recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, would
“abolish marriage.”
DOMA is “critical” because it “also
protected states from being forced to recognize the counterfeit
marriages that have been legalized by a few liberal states,”
Blackwell argued.
Obama has previously endorsed the bill
that would repeal the law, which is expected to clear a Senate panel
later this week. However, the issue is a non-starter in the House,
where its speaker, John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, has approved
a budget of up to $1.5 million to defend DOMA in court.
The bill would “offer true marriage
the same 'respect' President Obama showed to the body of Osama bin
Laden – a hasty burial at sea after summarily being put to death.”
“That death will mean the
impoverishment of more women and more children,” Blackwell wrote.
“True marriage is the best anti-poverty program ever devised.”
“No one who is for the abolition of
marriage can claim to be a friend of the poor,” the Republican
added.