Republican Representatives Vicky
Hartzler and Allen West on Thursday reminded members of Phyllis
Schlafly's socially conservative Eagle Forum that they oppose gay
marriage.
Florida Rep. West suggested that gay
marriage would lead to the destruction of society.
“The term ‘gay marriage’ is an
oxymoron,” West said in addressing the Eagle Forum Collegians 2011
Summit in Washington. “Because marriage is a union and a bond
between a man and a woman to do one thing: the furtherance of society
by procreation, through creating new life. Have you ever read the
book America Alone by Mark Steyn? It’s about demographics.
And if we continue with a cycle of debt and punishing our unborn then
it just becomes a matter of time before you don’t have society.”
Hartzler, a freshman representative
from Missouri who has already introduced or co-sponsored numerous
measures in Congress aimed at limiting the rights of LGBT Americans,
was asked why young people should oppose marriage equality.
(Related: 70%
of young Americans support giving gay and lesbian couples the right
to marry.)
“If you just care about somebody,
have a committed relationship, why not allow one man and two women or
three women to marry. There are a lot of people in this country that
support polygamy. Why not? They're committed to each other, why
should you care? Why not allow a group marriage? There are people
out there who want that. … Why not allow an uncle to marry his
niece? Why not allow a 50-year-old man to marry a 12-year-old girl,
that they love each other and are committed.”
“If you don't set parameters, you
don't have any parameters at all, a license means nothing. A
marriage means nothing.”
“It's not a right in a constitution
part that goes either. It's not a right of a three-year-old to drive
a car.” (The video, provided
by Right Wing Watch, is embedded in the right panel of this
page.)