US: Republican Mike Huckabee says equal marriage is a ‘betrayal of our constitution’

Former Arkansas Governor Mark Huckabee has told Republican party members to “grow a spine” and oppose equal marriage legislation, which he says betrays the constitution.

A decision by the US Supreme Court last week to reject seven pending appeals against same-sex marriage will allow same-sex couples to marry in as many as eleven new states.

The former GOP Governor of Arkansas, who has threatened to “become independent” over the issue, spoke on Fox News recently about his anger at the Republicans for refusing to put up a fight.

He said same-sex marriage is “inconsistent with nature and nature’s law.”

However, he added: “The bigger issue is with the betrayal of our constitution and the surrender to a small group.”

Mr Huckabee then sent a message to the Republican party as a whole, saying: “Grow a spine, show a modicum of knowledge about the way we govern ourselves, and lead, follow, or get the heck out of the way.”

The Fox News presenter, former governor of Arkansas, and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee warned in 2013 that “every fear” over same-sex marriage has come true, including “television commercials portraying same-sex couples.”

In 2012 Huckabee suggested a rejection of “natural law”, and “natural family of a father and mother”, were the reasons for the school massacre at Newtown, Connecticut.

He has previously stated that he opposes equal marriage partly because of the “ick factor”.

• TV
• May 11

All 13 seasons of Doctor Who ranked from worst to best