Santorum Backs Nullifying Existing Gay Marriages

           A recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle claims that Rick Santorum supports the creation of a constitutional amendment which would not only prohibit same-sex marriages, but also nullify the validity of same-sex marriages that already exist. Such an amendment would affect over 100,000 couples whose marriages have already taken place as well as those who plan to marry in the future. Despite increasing public opposition, Santorum appears confident in his position, stating that, “Just because public opinion says something doesn’t mean it’s right.” True enough, but public opinion does have significant influence in both Congress and the House of representatives, which require a majority vote to pass a new amendment. Santorum is not alone in his sentiments, however. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich also support an amendment which would ban gay marriage, though neither has voiced support for nullifying those that already exist.

Such widespread support among Republican candidates is troubling, but not surprising; American history is plagued with instances of government support for Christian morals and traditions over those of other religions. One such case is that of the Pueblo Indians, whose dance ceremonies were considered “barbaric” and “immoral” in the eyes of the American Government. Though they were eventually permitted to practice their dances by claiming protection under the First Amendment, they endured years of religious persecution and personal sacrifice in the process. The Mormons were another group to experience such persecution at the hands of the Federal Government, though their use of the First Amendment as a means for defending the practice of polygamy was significantly less successful than that of the Pueblos. In the 1879 Reynolds v. United States case the Supreme Court ruled that religious freedom was not a sufficient defense for the practice of polygamy, citing examples of human sacrifice as practices akin to plural marriage. Once again, the government imposed its Christian morals on a group whose practices were considered inferior or immoral. The same is true of Santorum and his support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage – he would be using the power of the Federal Government to impose his own religious views on the American people.

This imposition of Christian morals and traditions by the government and its leaders is detestable. You cannot in one moment argue for “freedom and justice for all” and in the next moment impose your beliefs on another. Often we talk about the First Amendment in terms of Americans’ freedom to choose which religion they wish to practice, but what of the freedom from religion? Is Christianity the necessary default for American citizens who do not wish to practice any one religion or can they determine “right” and “wrong” for themselves? Certainly, a person’s private practices should have minimal bearing on other people’s rights (i.e. no human sacrifice or destruction of private property), but there is absolutely no valid reason why Rick Santorum or any other candidate should be permitted to ban gay marriage or nullify existing marriages, the least of which being established Christian morals and traditions.