THE NATIONAL COALITION STANDS BEHIND SANTORUM COMMENTS

April 24, 2003
For Immediate Release
Contact:

Maryam Kubasek
Director of Media Relations
National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families
Religious Alliance Against Pornography
513/521-6227, ext. 111

Cincinnati -- The statements of Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) have brought clarity to the conflict the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families believes is the issue of the day – the battle for truth waged in the arena of sexual ethics.

"The senator correctly observed that if the right to privacy includes consensual sexual activity between homosexuals, then the question must be asked what could possibly be excluded and on what grounds" said Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition. "Bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery all have the same moral authority to seek inclusion and protection from the law under the right to privacy that would include homosexual activity. While some wish it to be otherwise, the truth of the matter is clear."

Dan Panetti, the National Coalition’s vice president for legal and public policy, noted that "the state has an interest in protecting and promoting the traditional marriage relationship and those relationships that can ultimately lead to marriage. All other sexual activity outside of that relationship is not in the best interest of the society as a whole and can properly be placed in a separate category without the endorsement of the state."

The National Coalition believes the only fair and equitable conclusion one can reach is that either the traditional marriage relationship between one man and one woman is to be promoted and protected as the preferred relationship or there is no difference between any relationships of consenting adults. Western society, and every other society in history until recently, has chosen to conclude that the union of a man and a woman is the very nucleus of a family and is essential to the stability and vitality of the entire society.