Sen. Orrin Hatch says he supports the idea of civil unions with rights for same-sex couples, but still believes in “traditional marriage” for heterosexual couples "as the basis of marital law in our country."
“I’ll say this, I do believe this could be solved greatly by a civil union law that would give gay people the same rights as married people,” the Utah Republican reportedly said during a recent interview with KVNU Radio. “I think we could solve this problem without undermining the very basis of marital law in our country.”
Current state civil union laws do not give same-sex couples the same rights as married couples, including hospital visitation rights, tax benefits, immigration rights, or Social Security benefits.
Hatch said he worries that legalizing gay marriage could result in “every Tom, Dick, and Harry in there with some crazy marital scheme demanding the same rights and the same privileges.”
Hatch also reportedly told the radio station he does not believe individuals choose to be gay, but he still "draw[s] the line on traditional marriage," the
Huffington Post reported.
Hatch did not support 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s proposal for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, believing the issue should be left up to individual states.
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