Arkansas Republican Senator Jason Rapert has filed a bill aiming to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in the U.S. Constitution.
Rapert said he filed Senate Joint Resolution 7 because he's acting on the will of the people of Arkansas.
The bill calls for an amendment that would prohibit “any state from defining or construing the definition of ‘marriage' to mean other than the union of one man and one woman.”
Thanks to all those reaching out with support. I remain committed to standing for what is right – forever. #arpx @AnAppeal2Heaven pic.twitter.com/SRfqyEC929
— Jason Rapert (@jasonrapert) February 7, 2017
In an interview with KATV, Rapert said that in accordance with Article V, it would take 34 states to call for the constitutional convention to propose the marriage amendment but it would take 38 states to make the amendment part of the Constitution.
RELATED: Arkansas Lawmakers Approve Resolution in Support of State's Gay Marriage Ban
Rapert believes that there is enough support for the bill to be successful:
“I think the country now knows the silent majority is out there and they spoke during the 2016 election, and they're going to speak again,” he said.
When asked whether an additional bill filed last week to delay the implementation of a law to legalize medical marijuana – a constitutional amendment passed with 53 percent of the vote – amounted to hypocrisy, Rapert threatened to end the interview.
Filed last Friday, Rapert's second bill aims to delay the implementation of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment on the grounds that marijuana is illegal under federal law, and federal law trumps state law.
When pressed he said:
“There is no hypocrisy in standing up for what you believe in. It is not bigoted to say that marriage is between a man and a woman.”
He added that there is nothing stopping proponents of medical marijuana from filing their own bill to ask Congress to change federal law regarding marijuana.
Rapert filed another bill last week asking for a constitutional convention calling for an amendment to ban abortion in the United States, “providing that every human being is entitled to the right to life.”
Watch a report explaining why Rapert thinks a Pride parade in his hometown Conway, Arkansas was aimed solely at offending Christians.
(Image via Facebook)
