Laura Bush Opens Up About Disagreements with Husband on Gay Marriage, Abortion

Former First Lady Laura Bush expounded on her acceptance of gay marriage on CNN's "Larry King Live" this week, explaining why she disagrees on the issue with her husband and why she thinks public opinion on the issue will change over time.

It would be a true reversal for former President George W. Bush to accept marriage as anything other than contract between a man and a woman, she said, but the issue deserves more debate.

"I think there are a lot of people who have trouble coming to terms with that because they see marriage as traditionally between a man and a woman," she said. "But I also know that, you know, when couples are committed to each other and love each other, that they ought to have I think the same sort of rights that everyone has."

She added that there's also a difference of opinion among generations.

In the new memoir she is promoting, "Spoken from the Heart," Bush says she asked her husband to refrain from making gay marriage a significant 2004 campaign issue.

"We have, I reminded him, a number of close friends who are gay or whose children are gay," she wrote, as quoted by Politico. "But at that moment I could never have imagined what path this issue would take and where it would lead."

Bush said on CNN that she also disagrees with her husband on whether Roe v. Wade, which protects a woman's right to an abortion, should be overturned by the Supreme Court.

"I think it's important that it remain legal, because I think it's important for people, for medical reasons and other reasons," she said.

Bush's new book details other revelations about her time in the White House. For instance, when Saddam Hussein's sons, Udai and Qusay, were captured, U.S. troops found pictures of the Bush daughters in their rooms.

Laura Bush's Tell-All Book
Laura Bush Divulges Painful Moments in Memoir
Laura Bush Memoir Tackles Teen Car Crash

[DanerMuhlig]

Shame on 1st Lady Mrs. Bush promoting killing babies in the womb and Godless homosexuality!
SHAME ON HER!

[TaleWgnDg]

Let's cut to the chase. George W. Bush didn't care (and still doesn't care) about abortion or gay rights issues, period. He simply went the way he (and his handlers) felt would get him elected. And he succeeded. That is, if that can be called "success." No guts. No backbone. No morals. Today, he remains the same. Nothing more than an empty suit. And a political symbol of those who achieve "success" off the backs of others. My question to Laura is: how can she stand it? Or him?

My one caveat would be . . . GWBush would be concerned only if -- only if -- it impacted him personally, his wife, or his twin daughters.

[sabboo43]

You should have been honest while you were in office and had the real power to create change, Laura. Thanks for your honesty now, but it falls way, way short for people like these guys: http://ourscenetv.com/posts/281/internet-superstars-equality-heroes

[bobnjersey]

["I think it's important that it remain legal, because I think it's important for people, for medical reasons and other reasons," she said. ]

every time i see laura bush speak in an interview ... or read the transcript of her responses i wonder how these two came together. she seems to have a balanced world view ... yet she has hitched her wagon to a group of people who don't. i wonder why?

[black_howler]

The American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the National Association of Social Workers state:

"There is no scientific basis for distinguishing between same-sex couples and heterosexual couples with respect to the legal rights, obligations, benefits, and burdens conferred by civil marriage."

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/highprofile/documents/Amer_Psychological_Assn_Amicus_Curiae_Brief.pdf

Thus, mental health professionals and researchers have long recognized that being homosexual poses no inherent obstacle to leading a happy, healthy, and productive life, and that the vast majority of gay and lesbian people function well in the full array of social institutions and interpersonal relationships.

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/highprofile/documents/Amer_Psychological_Assn_Amicus_Curiae_Brief.pdf

The research and clinical literature demonstrate that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality.

http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/therapeutic-response.pdf

The longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions is that homosexuality per se is a normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation.

http://www.apa.org/about/governance/council/policy/sexual-orientation.aspx

[black_howler]

Violence against a minority group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_LGBT_people

Gays are being beaten, shot at, sent to the hospital, killed. In the Middle East, they are killing gays among other groups out of hatred. Is this what we want America to become? Do we want America to revert back to the 1960's when groups were killed and segregated against for simply no good reason? Do we want to follow the ways of the Middle East and Al Queda? Let's push forward, it's time to end bigotry, discrimination, hate, and ignorance. This is modern America, not the Dark Ages.

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/civilrights/hate.htm

[black_howler]

This was taken from another poster that shows why we need to legalize gay marriage. If you don't feel for this person after reading it, you simply aren't human.

"I am not sure what our President thinks of this dicission but coming from a poor family and knowing what discrimination is all about I would assume he would not care if "Gays" have equal rights. The whole reason why they are asking for rights to be considered married is from the same reason why I would be for it. My own life partner commited suicide in our home with a gun to his heart. After a 28 year union I was deprived to even go his funeral. We had two plots next to each other. But because we did not have a marriage cirtificate "(Legal Document)" of our union his mother had him cremated and his ashes taken back to Missouri where we came from. That is only one example how painful it is. His suicide tramatized me so much and her disregard for my feelings only added to my heartach. That happened on March 21 of 2007 and I still cannot type this without crying for the trauma I have to endure each day. Oh did I mention I am in an electric wheelchair for life? Yes I am and it is very diffacult to find another mate when you are 58 and in a wheelchair. "

[black_howler]

The National Library of Medicine pubs confirm that sexual orientation is natural, biologically induced in the first trimester of pregnancy, morally neutral, immutable, neither contagious nor learned, bearing no relation to an individuals ability to form deep and lasting relationships, to parent children, to work or to contribute to society.

From the American Psychological Association: homosexuality is normal; homosexual relationships are normal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Asociation and American Psychiatric Asociation have endorsed civil marriage for same-sex couples because marriage strengthens mental and physical health and longevity of couples, and provides greater legal and financial security for children, parents and seniors.

America's premier child/mental health associations endorse marriage equality.

[black_howler]

For those of you claiming homosexuality is a "lifestyle", that is a false and ignorant statement. Homosexuality is not a choice. Just like you don't choose the color of your skin, you cannot choose whom you are sexually attracted to. If you can, sorry, but you are not heterosexual, you are bi-sexual. Virtually all major psychological and medical experts agree that sexual orientation is NOT a choice. Most gay people will tell you its not a choice. Common sense will tell you its not a choice. While science is relatively new to studying homosexuality, studies tend to indicate that its biological.

http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/03/differential-brain-activation.pdf
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/dn14146-gay-brains-structured-like-those-of-the-opposite-sex.html
Gay, Straight Men's Brain Responses Differ
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155990,00.html
http://www.livescience.com/health/060224_gay_genes.html
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w27453600k586276/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/06/16/172/

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that homosexuality is not a choice. Sexual orientation is generally a biological trait that is determined pre-natally, although there is no one certain thing that explains all of the cases. "Nurture" may have some effect, but for the most part it is biological.


And it should also be noted that:
"It is worth noting that many medical and scientific organizations do believe it is impossible to change a person's sexual orientation and this is displayed in a statement by American Academy of Pediatrics, American Counseling Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, and National Education Association."

[black_howler]

To those of you using the Bible as a weapon against homosexuality, you are wrong. Homosexuality is not a sin. The Bible is constantly being taken out of context to support anti-gay views. Scholars who have studied the Bible in context of the times and in relation to other passages have shown those passages (Leviticus, Corinthians, Romans, etc) have nothing to do with homosexuality. These passages often cherry-picked while ignoring the rest of the Bible. The sins theses passages are referring to are idolatry, Greek temple sex worship, prostitution, pederasty with teen boys, and rape, not homosexuality or two loving consenting adults.


http://www.soulfoodministry.org/docs/English/NotASin.htm
http://www.jesus21.com/content/sex/bible_homosexuality_print.html
http://www.christchapel.com/reclaiming.html
http://www.stjohnsmcc.org/new/BibleAbuse/BiblicalReferences.php
http://www.gaychristian101.com/

Thats why Jesus never mentions it as well. There is nothing immoral, wrong, or sinful about being gay. Jesus, however, clearly states he HATES hypocrites. If you preach goodness, then promote hate and twist the words of the Bible, you are a hypocrite, and will be judged and sent to hell. Homosexuals will not go to hell, hypocrites will.

This is very similar to the religious bigots of the past, where they took Bible passages to condone slavery, keep women down, and used Bible passages to claim blacks as curses who should be enslaved by the white man. People used God to claim that blacks marrying whites was unnatural, and not of God's will.