Thompson's gay marriage plan questioned

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson’s plan to amend the U.S. Constitution to limit gay marriage is being questioned by Iowa conservatives.

Thompson has called for a two-part amendment that would ban judges in states where gay marriage is not legal from recognizing marriages contracted in states where it is, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register reported. The amendment would also ban judges from recognizing gay marriage in states where the legislature has not enacted a law legalizing it.

Social conservatives are pushing for a constitutional amendment that would simply ban same-sex marriages in all states.

"We can't dillydally around while 50 states figure out what they are going to do," said Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Christian Alliance.

Donald Downs of the University of Wisconsin said the proposed amendment would be "very strange" if it becomes part of the constitution. It would be the first limiting the "full faith and credit" clause and to limit state judges’ ability to declare something a right.