US radio host: Case to recognise gay couple’s marriage as one of them is terminally ill is ‘nonsense’
Weighing in on the argument surrounding a gay Ohio couple who had their out-of-state marriage recognised last week by a judge because one of them is terminally ill, US Christian radio host Linda Harvey dismissed the case as “nonsense”.
James Obergefell and John Arthur filed the lawsuit as Mr Arthur is terminally ill, and with a view to having his death certificate to show that the couple are married.
The couple married in Maryland, a US state which allows same-sex marriages. Mr Arthur has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Harvey, of Mission America, who is well known in the US for her anti-gay rhetoric, made the comments earlier this week, suggesting that they were not victims of discrimination because they always had the option of marrying a woman.
“There’s no discrimination or inequality, either of these men could be married to a woman,” she said.
She went on to say that she considered their marriage the same as pretending to be a qualified doctor having not attended medical school.
“Can marriage just be what anyone thinks it is? Here’s a possible analogy. Sophie wants to be a doctor, she’s never gone to medical school but in her mind she’s qualified to treat patients, even perform surgery. But the law only allows the practice of medicine by those who have attended medical school, passed the state board exams and so on.
“But isn’t this unequal protection? Aren’t Sophie’s fantasies valid? She believes she should be allowed to practice medicine therefore the requirements to be a licensed MD are unconstitutional for her.”
