Iowa U.S. Senator Who Voted For Defense Of Marriage Act Now Says He Supports Same Sex Marriage; Says He Is Prepared To Campaign Hard On Behalf Of Pro-Gay Iowa Senator Gronstal

The Des Moines Register reports that United States Senator Tom Harkin said Thursday that he is reconsidering his support for a federal law that is opposed by same sex marriage advocates. Harkin, an Iowa Democrat voted in 1996 in support of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman for purpose of all federal laws, and adds that states are not required to recognize a marriage from another state if it is between same sex couples. In February, President Barack Obama instructed the United States Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. "Quite frankly, my thinking has evolved over time on this issue," Harkin said Thursday in a conference call with reporters. He said he has concluded that marriage consists of two things: a religious-based commitment and a civil agreement recognized by states. "I don't think there should be discrimination about who is able to establish relationships like that in a contractual marriage, in a civil marriage. But churches, on the other hand, if a religion finds this to be anathema ... then they don't have to do that. ... I would protect their right to not to have to do that, but it shouldn't spill over into the civil part of it at all," he said. However, Harkin added that his backing for civil same sex marriage would not extend to support for polygamy. "Polygamy, by its very nature, leads to the abuse of the female sex," Harkin said. "Therefore, we have an overriding public interest in not permitting polygamy. The same cannot be said of two people who want to enter a relationship that would be sanctioned by the state in terms of a license and recognition of a contract, a marriage contract. I don't think there is an overriding public interest in that." Harkin predicted that Iowa Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal will be re-elected, and that he is prepared to campaign hard on behalf of the Council Bluffs Democrat. Gronstal has been roundly criticized by social conservatives for refusing to permit a bill to come to the Senate floor that would allow Iowans to vote on a state constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. Some conservatives have vowed to make Gronstal a target for defeat in the November 2012 elections, but Harkin made it clear he supports the lawmaker's stance on gay rights, saying that "Mike Gronstal is one of the finest public servants I have ever met in my life. He has dedicated his life to fighting hard for working families, for those who don't have a lot of power and a lot of wealth. He has been a great state senator. I will do everything in my power to back him up. He is right on the mark on this issue."