Leach says gay marriage issue should be left to states

Iowa Congressman Jim Leach says the states, not the feds, should set marriage policy. A group of gay couples tried last week to obtain marriage licenses in Iowa City, where Leach now resides. And President Bush has called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would declare marriage may only be between a man and a woman.Leach says one has “to be respectful of all points of view, but Leach is “very skeptical” of the idea of passing the Constitutional Amendment Bush seeks. Leach says there is a “very powerful case” for civil unions for same-sex couples. But he says the gay marriage issue does not need to be addressed in the U.S. Constitution. Leach says historically, amendments to the U.S. Constitutional have been all about “expanding rights” and he says that’s not how politicians should deal with “an issue of this nature.” The gay and lesbian couples who tried to wed last week in Iowa City argue it is an equal rights issue. Leach says he thinks “they have a case, but that’s up for the local jurisdiction and the state law and the courts.” He says that’s where the issue should be handled, not by Congress.