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U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks during a Presidential Lecture Series sponsored by The Family Leader, Monday, March 7, 2011, in Pella, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Issues such as gay marriage and abortion are decisions that should fall to individual states and not the federal government, Texas Congressman Ron Paul said during a stop in Iowa City Monday.
Paul said because of his personal beliefs he is opposed to abortion and he supports the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 federal law that allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex partnerships legally recognized in other states. President Obama recently instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Paul said he doesn’t agree with Obama’s instruction because he thinks the president’s goal “is really to undermine state law that defines marriage.” One goal of the Defense of Marriage Act was to protect state laws, Paul said, adding he believes marriage is a very personal religious matter that ideally should not involve government.
But it’s among the issues that constitutionally should be dealt with at the state level, the Republican told an enthusiastic crowd of about 250 people Monday during the University of Iowa stop.
“The more difficult the problem is, the greater the need to satisfy things locally,” he said.
The potential 2012 presidential candidate also made a stop in Pella Monday, as part of the Presidential Lecture Series sponsored by the conservative Iowa-based group The Family Leader, led by Bob Vander Plaats.
Paul touted his message of limited federal government and strong personal liberty. He said the federal government has no place in education and he believes income tax should be abolished. The economy is an issue with moral underpinnings, Paul said, calling the escalating federal debt immoral and the federal bailout of undeserving entities immoral.
“I’m the one that’s not for big government. I”m the one that’s for less government,” Paul said. “My confidence in the individual is so great … I believe not only that you have the right to take care of yourself, but you have the obligation to take care of yourself.”
We have been lackadaisical as a nation, Paul said, allowing the federal government to take over, telling us how to live and how to spend our money.
“We’ve allowed too many to go to Washington that did not take seriously their oath of office to obey the Constitution,” he said.
When asked why some Christian political groups are not keen on his message despite some fundamental similarities, Paul said he thinks his foreign policy stance may cause the biggest rift. He is strongly opposed to the current wars, and he only wants war fought when it’s declared constitutionally, Paul said.
6 Responses to Ron Paul says gay marriage, abortion decisions should be left to states
I can see where christian fundamentalists would have a problem with Mr. Paul’s philosophy-it has very little to do with his foreign policy. They don’t want to leave disposition of these two (to them) key issues up to the individual states- they want the Federal goverment to intervene and ban both practices nationwide. I doubt that they view Mr. Paul as a useful (or controllable) tool by which to accomplish that goal, since he is too “anti-establishment” to push for such leglislation/Constitutional amendments.
At one time whether or not a person could own slaves was determined at the state level. Now Paul endorses letting states decide if they want to discriminate against gay people.
“One goal of the Defense of Marriage Act was to protect state laws, Paul said, adding he believes marriage is a very personal religious matter that ideally should not involve government.”
So Mr. Paul thinks that the institution of marriage should be outside the scope of the government regulation — but wants the government to restrict marriage between a man and a woman? No contradiction there.
For those interested in listening to Mr. Paul’s views on the primacy of state’s rights, here’s a good introduction:
http://libertydefenseleague.com/2010/05/07/ron-paul-on-secession/
Deja-vu all over again…
Barry Goldwater was wrong to oppose the federal civil rights acts. Ron Paul is just as wrong about gay and lesbian civil rights.
The Fourteenth Amendment must apply to all Americans, and be enforced by the federal government; otherwise, “equal protection under the law” means nothing.
As one of the United States leading Libertarians, I’m very surprised to hear Ron Paul say this. One would think Ron Paul would believe it is within the rights of the individual. I suppose he’s afraid of offending his Republican overlords.
At one time Dr. Paul thought of voting for, “don’t ask, don’t tell” but never did and stuck with repelling the act. As at one time he thought the federal government being involved in the death penalty was a good idea, but voting in favor of leaving it up to the states. Dr. Paul is a true thinker and unlike most politicians HE THINKS about these things to come up with a logical conclusion.