NC lawmaker says legalizing same-sex marriage is akin to legalizing incest, polygamy

North Carolina House Majority Leader Paul Stam (R) on Tuesday likened gay marriage to incest and polygamy, and announced that the state legislature aims to approve a ballot initiative seeking a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

During a press conference, in which a reporter’s asked if the proposed legislation represented intrusion by government into people’s lives, Stam replied:

“Well 90 percent of all laws affect people’s lives, so that’s an argument without any content to it,” he said.

“We prohibit adult incest, we prohibit polygamy. What would be their answer to that? We’re involved in people’s lives. That’s a slogan without analysis.”

The Majority Leader continued with: “What I’m saying is, you cannot construct an argument for same sex-marriage that would not also justify philosophically the legalization of polygamy and adult incest.”

North Carolina law already prevents recognition of same-sex marriage by defining marriage legally as that of between one man and one woman. 

State Republican lawmakers are now calling on colleagues to pass legislation that would present voters with a constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriages when the legislature returns for a special session on September 12.

The state’s Democratic governor, Bev Perdue said she has urged Democratic lawmakers to vote against the amendment.

But some critics have charged that the governor is showing a bit of hypocrisy, as she had supported the restrictive marriage law when she served as a legislator.

“The reality is that this amendment will not put one person back to work; it will not help one small business keep its doors open, and it will not assist one single citizen now trying to recover from the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Irene,” said Democratic Party chairman David Parker.

“The Republicans in the General Assembly have made it clear that their intention is to turn back the clock on our economy by pushing divisive social issues — talk about misplaced priorities. This amendment will only stifle job creation and hinder our economic recovery,” said Parker.

 

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