In an interview with CNN “New Day” co-host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday, former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, took on the issue of gay marriage.
Cuomo asked Carson about the issue of same-sex marriage, to which Carson explained isn’t something that is necessarily protected by the Constitution because homosexuality he argued was a choice.
Partial transcript as follows:
CUOMO: One issue, same-sex marriage — you have equal protection, it’s working its way through the courts, the decisions are getting more and more uniform. But then you have people of faith who say marriage is ours. God says it is a man and a woman. The Bible says my faith says — which one wins with Dr. Carson?
CARSON: Here’s what I would do — I would do what the Constitution says. The Constitution says civil issues of that nature should be determined at the state level. Why does it say that? Because the judicial system at the state level has to answer to the people.
CUOMO: What if people of the state vote for a law 100-0 that winds up infringing on the rights of a minority like happened very often with slavery? Like many would argue is happening now with people who are gay?
CARSON: And our Constitution was followed and we corrected those things.
CUOMO: And isn’t that what’s happening now with same-sex marriage? It’s being corrected as a form of violation of equal protection.
CARSON: No, you can’t just say because it happened that way this time, this is the same situation. It’s not the same situation.
CUOMO: Why not?
CARSON: Because people have no control over their race, for instance.
CUOMO: You think they have control over their sexuality?
CARSON: Absolutely.
CARSON: You think being gay is a choice?
CARSON: Absolutely.
CUOMO: Why do you say that?
CARSON: Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.
CUOMO: A lot of people go into prison and you know there’s a whole theory of dominance.
CARSON: I said a lot of people who go in, come out. Are you denying that that’s true?
CUOMO: I’m not denying that’s true, but I’m denying is a basis of unde rstanding homosexuality.
CARSON: If in fact that is the case, then it obvious thwarts what you just said.
CUOMO: A lot of people go into jail as a drug addict and come out as a criminal. Does that mean that all drug addicts are criminals?
CARSON: Here is what is important – why do gay people want to get married? Why do they say they want to get married? Because they want to have various rights — property rights, visitation rights.
CUOMO: They want their commitment to count, just like mine and my wife’s.
CARSON: Why can’t any two human beings, I don’t care what their sexual orientation is, why can’t they have the legal right to do those things?
CUOMO: That’s what they’re fighting for.
CARSON: That does not require changing the definition of marriage.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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