Paul Ryan, the Republican vice
presidential nominee, has pledged that a Mitt Romney administration
would defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
During a radio interview with Focus on
the Family President Jim Daly, Ryan criticized President Barack Obama
for instructing the Justice Department to no longer defend in court
DOMA, the 1996 law which bans federal agencies from recognizing the
legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, and promised Romney would
reverse course.
“It's the foundation for society and
for family for thousands of years,” Ryan
said of marriage. “First of all, Mitt Romney and I – I'll
just say it, it's worth repeating – we believe marriage is between
one man and one woman, that's number one. Number two, you know where
I come from we had one of those amendments in Wisconsin, I was a big
supporter of it and we passed it like you say, where it's put on the
ballot it passes. The second point is, President Obama gave up
defending the Defense of Marriage Act in the courts, I mean, not only
is this decision to abandon this law the wrong decision, it passed in
a bipartisan manner, it is very troubling because it undermines not
only traditional marriage but it contradicts our system of
government. It's not the president's job to pick and choose which
laws he likes. A Romney administration will protect traditional
marriage and the rule of law and we will provide the Defense of
Marriage Act the proper defense in the courts that it deserves.”