NOW Calls for Santorum to Resign Senate Leadership Position

April 25, 2003

In light of his stunning remarks to the Associated Press, the National Organization for Women calls for Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., to step down from his number three leadership position in Congress. NOW is also urging George W. Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and other top Republicans to publicly condemn the reprehensible comments Santorum made in that interview.

"Rick Santorum is afflicted with the same condition as Trent Lott—a small mind, but a big mouth," said National Organization for Women (NOW) President Kim Gandy. "He has refused to apologize, and Republican leaders have either supported or ignored Santorum's rants blaming societal ills on feminists, liberals, and particularly gays and lesbians. Far from being a compassionate conservative, Santorum's lengthy and specific comments expose him as abusive, intolerant, and downright paranoid—a poor combination for a top Senate leader."

According to a transcript of the April 7 Associated Press interview, Santorum stated: "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.
. . . You say, well, it's my individual freedom. Yes, but it destroys the basic unit of our society because it condones behavior that's antithetical to strong healthy families."

Santorum also objected to "a whole feminist movement that's built around the fact that fathers are unnecessary." He answered "absolutely" when asked if liberalism takes power away from the family. "The basic liberal philosophy is materialistic, is relativistic, to the point of, you've got candidates for president saying we should condone different types of marriage. That is, to me, the death knell of the American family."

"Santorum's claim that his problem is with 'homosexual acts'—not homosexual people—is a tired and phony excuse," said Gandy. "He makes abundantly clear that his ideal society includes only one type of family and one political philosophy—with no room in his tiny tent for feminists, single moms, liberals, or anyone who isn't straight.

NOW calls for any 'compassionates' in the Republican party to denounce Santorum's repugnant remarks and for the senator to resign from his leadership position as Republican Conference Chair."

###

Sign up to receive press releases by email.