Same-Sex Marriage Causes Pro-Life Rift in Ohio

Religion Today | Updated: Aug 19, 2013

Same-Sex Marriage Causes Pro-Life Rift in Ohio

The nation's oldest and largest grassroots pro-life group, the National Right to Life Committee, has broken ties with a Cleveland affiliate over its stand against same-sex marriage, WORLD reports. The move signals a new political strategy in an era when politicians may be pro-life but untraditional in their view of marriage.  In this case, the untraditional politician is Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who in March declared his support for same-sex marriage, a reversal of his previous position. The flip-flop caused some Ohio conservatives to drop support for Portman, who has otherwise been a consistent pro-life ally in the U.S. Senate. On June 24, after a year and a half of discussion, Cleveland Right to Life announced it had updated its mission statement to include same-sex marriage as a practice "contrary to 'the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.'" The group added it would "consider any political candidate who does not support the right to life of the unborn child and marriage as only between a man and a woman to be unworthy of representing the rights and well-being of all of their constituents."



Same-Sex Marriage Causes Pro-Life Rift in Ohio