Former Penn. Sen. Rick Santorum asserted that he will continue his fight against same-sex marriage — even if the Supreme Court legalizes it later this summer.
“Of course I’d fight it,” Santorum told NBC’s Chuck Todd on Sunday. “If the court decides this case in error, I will continue to fight for this as I have for life.”
Santorum, a recently declared 2016 GOP presidential candidate, pointed toward his anti-abortion efforts as reasoning for his anti-gay marriage ones. According to Santorum, like with abortion, a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage does not permanently decide the fate of the issue.
“It’s important to understand the Supreme Court does not have the final word. It is the role of Congress and the president to sometimes push back,” Santorum said, adding, “Roe v. Wade was decided over 30 years ago and we are still fighting against that decision.”
Santorum clarified to Todd that he advocates change through legal avenues and not civil disobedience, asserting that it is possible to rewrite laws so that they do not fail on Constitutional grounds.
Santorum, who is currently in the midst of his second attempt at winning the GOP nomination for president, also expressed his support for the Patriot Act, which expires at midnight.
The Senate adjourns for a rare late night session Sunday to attempt to renew parts of the controversial legislation.
“I think the Patriot Act has worked very well,” Santorum said. “I’m not aware of any abuses by the Patriot Act that have caused any invasions of privacy.”
Santorum, with 1.7 points, is currently polling twelfth in a RealClearPolitics average of polls.
