Lest you think the Republican Party has somehow evolved, now that the GOP has removed the plank that since 2004 has called for a constitutional amendment to declare marriage as between “one man and one woman,” what it’s added in its place is potentially just as damaging.
The party will officially reject the June 2015 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage, reported CNN, with a new plank that in the current draft calls for a reversal of Obergefell vs. Hodges: “We urge (the decision’s) reversal whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the states.”
Instead of an amendment defining marriage to be a heterosexuals-only right, the draft of the party platform still reportedly includes a mention of that preference in a section on the importance of a “married mom and dad.”
“Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman and actively promote married family life as the basis of a stable and prosperous society,” the draft states.
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The GOP also includes new support for the so-called “religious freedom” laws, wildly popular in Southern conservative states, aimed at legally protecting businesses that deny services based on religious objections to same-sex marriage. There’s also a plank backing the congressional proposal to make that effort effective nationwide with the “First Amendment Defense Act.”.
While presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has publicly endorsed RFRAs and FADA, as well for marriage to be a state issue, as CNN reported he also declared he is a candidate that will protect LGBTQ Americans. His explanation for that discrepancy— if he offers one — will be of key interest to the community that is targeted by these planks.
That target would be hit even harder if Tony Perkins gets his way. According to Right Wing Watch, the head of the antigay Family Research Council wants the party to add a plank to endorse conversion therapy, which is outlawed in some states and has been denounced by leading experts as damaging and fruitless.
The platform reportedly removes mention of Palestine but does not shift its longstanding opposition to abortion rights, reported CNN.
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