The issue of same-sex marriage is not one that should be determined by the Supreme Court, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said Sunday, and he does not think the court will settle the issue, regardless of how it rules.
"I think it does a disservice to both sides if the court weighs in on public policy like this," said Perkins, who told CBS
"Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer that it is the court's duty to interpret the Constitution and laws, not create public policy.
"When they do that, they create division and they erect barriers to reaching consensus on
on public policy like this,' said Perkins.
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday
will consider whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to wed. As such unions are already legal in 37 of the country's 50 states and in Washington D.C., experts say it's likely that the court will recognize them as well.
Perkins insisted Sunday that "the union of a man and a woman" creates a sacred union that is the "cornerstone of society...that's where kids learn to become citizens."
Further, he told Schieffer that what's at stake isn't just the institution of marriage, but a ruling that will end up "fundamentally altering the culture."
Surveys show that 6 out of 10 Americans now favor same-sex marriages, said Schieffer, but Perkins said other reports show that the numbers are "based on how you ask the question" and the nation "really is evenly divided" on the issue.
Thirty-seven states may have made such marriages legal, he said, but "only voters in three of those states actually voted to allow the redefinition of marriage."
The other states, he insisted, had the ruling "imposed on them by the courts."
Further, he denied that there is a global consensus on same-sex marriages, telling Schieffer that just 17 of the 193-member states of the United Nations have "redefined marriage" and only one, Brazil, allowed that to be done by the courts.
Perkins also denied reports that claimed he said justices who rule in favor of same-sex marriage should be impeached.
"What I said they're not the final say on this issue," he said. "In our system of government to court...they are not the final say on issues."
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