Antigay Group
Accuses Iowa Democrats of Blocking Marriage Amendment

A group hoping to ban same-sex marriage in Iowa has accused Democrats of delaying legislation, claiming the lawmakers are pandering to donors who want gay marriage to be legal, the Associated Press reported Friday.

On Thursday members of the Iowa Family Policy Center said top Democrats had accepted more than $170,000 from "out-of-state homosexual activists." Those donations have resulted in a refusal to hold debate on an amendment to the state's constitution that would prohibit same-sex marriage, according to Chuck Hurley, the group's president.

This information, Hurley told the AP, is "particularly troubling considering the national implications." If such marriages were legalized in Iowa, he said, people from across the United States could visit the state to wed.

Top Democrats reacted sharply to the group's accusations. The issue of gay marriage, they pointed out, is before the state supreme court and should remain there until a decision is made.

"With his latest publicity stunt, Mr. Hurley has violated a couple of the Ten Commandments and committed at least one of the Seven Deadly Sins," said Democratic senate majority leader Mike Gronstal in a prepared statement. "But why should that surprise Iowans? Mr. Hurley's real motivation has always been hate-mongering and raising money from hard-working Iowans to cover his salary." (The Advocate)