The Christian conservative group The
Family Leader is asking GOP presidential candidates to pledge their
opposition to gay marriage.
The group's CEO, Republican Bob Vander
Plaats, will unveil The Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence
Upon Marriage and Family at a press conference on the west steps
of the Iowa state capitol building on Thursday at 11AM.
According to Fox News, the
pledge includes support for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the
1996 law that bars federal agencies from recognizing the legal
marriages of gay and lesbian couples, opposition to gay marriage
laws, picking constitutionalists for federal judgeships and
opposition to Sharia law. Candidates are also being asked to pledge
fidelity to their spouses.
Vander Plaats spearheaded last year's
successful ouster from the bench of three Iowa Supreme Court justices
after the 7-judge panel unanimously ruled in favor of gay marriage
proponents in 2009. The group has also lobbied lawmakers to approve
a constitutional amendment that would reverse the court's decision.
The effort died earlier this year in the Democrat-controlled Senate
after passage in the House.