Although he opposes same-sex marriage, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Tuesday he will not sign a conservative Iowa Christian group’s pledge voicing that opposition, the Associated Press reports.
The Family Leader’s 14-point pledge initially included a statement that African American children were more likely to live in a two-parent household during the time of slavery than Obama’s presidency. But the group removed the statement and apologized after many complained it was offensive.
The pledge calls on candidates to make a vow of personal fidelty to their spouse and to denounce not only same-sex marriage rights, but same-sex military accommodations, pornography and forms of Islamic law.
The oath “contained references and provisions that were undignified and inappropriate for a presidential campaign,” a spokeswoman for Romney told the Associated Press.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Romney’s fellow Mormon rival in the race for the Republican nomination, has said he will not sign any pledges as part of his campaign. Huntsman supports civil unions for same-sex couples but opposes marriage rights.
Two other Republican candidates, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, have signed The Family Leader’s pledge.
