Savage again called gay parenting "child abuse"

On the June 7 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage called gay parenting, "child abuse," echoing remarks he made during the February 26 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation.

Savage made his comments while criticizing Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who, at a June 6 campaign event, reportedly referred to same-sex parenting as part of "the American way" and an example of "freedom of choice." Savage read from a June 6 Associated Press article reporting Romney's response to a lesbian mother who confronted him about his opposition to gay marriage:

A New Hampshire woman, frustrated with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's opposition to gay marriage, made a point Wednesday of telling him about her personal experience.

"I am a gay woman and I have children. Your comment that you just made, it sort of invalidates my family," said Cynthia Fish, a mother of a 6- and 8-year-old. "... I wish you could explain to me more, why if we are sending our troops over to fight for liberty and justice for all throughout this country, why not for me? Why not for my family?"

Romney paused, asked Fish about her children and then praised her.

"Wonderful," Romney said. "I'm delighted that you have a family and you're happy with your family. That's the American way. ... People can live their lives as they choose and children can be a great source of joy, as you know. And I welcome that."

[...]

The former Massachusetts governor acknowledged other scenarios that raise children.

"There are other ways to raise kids that's fine: single moms, grandparents raising kids, gay couples raising kids. That's the American way, to have people have their freedom of choice," he said.

Reacting to Romney's remarks, Savage said the "proper answer" would have been to tell the woman that gay parenting is "child abuse." He stated, "I need a conservative candidate all the way who would say to a gay woman: 'You know what? I'm very sorry for your children. I think it's child abuse for you to raise children.' " Savage added that his ideal candidate would have also said: "Marriage is a fragile institution and I think you're making a mockery of it in this manner by doing this."

As Media Matters for America noted, on the February 26 edition of his radio show, Savage said: "I want to puke when I hear about a woman married to a woman raising children because, frankly, I think that it's child abuse to do that to children without their permission." As Media Matters further noted, Savage was reportedly dropped by Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency (CAA) following those remarks -- which were directed at singer and CAA client Melissa Etheridge, who thanked her wife during an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards -- two days after it announced it had signed him as a client. A week later, he called Etheridge a "hack" and said, "I find it nauseating, the idea of a woman saying, 'my wife,' " and repeated his attack on gay parenting: " The idea of two women who are so-called married raising children, I think it's child abuse."

The Savage Nation reaches more than 8 million listeners each week according to Talkers Magazine, making it the third most-listened-to talk radio show in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.

From the June 7 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

SAVAGE: You know which story shocks me on my website? "Romney says gay couples raising kids is the American way." Did he really say that? Did he really do that? I don't believe it. Let's see. I really want to see this. Let me see. I'm going to look at that whole story now, while you're calling:

"A New Hampshire woman, frustrated with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's opposition to gay marriage, made a point Wednesday of telling him about her personal experience.

" 'I am a gay woman and I have children. Your comment that you just made, it sort of invalidates my family,' said Cynthia Fish. "I wish you could explain to me more, why if we are sending our troops over to fight for liberty and justice for all throughout the country, why not for me? Why not for my family?'

"Romney paused, asked Fish about her children and then praised her.

" 'Wonderful,' Romney said. 'I'm delighted that you have a family and you're happy with your family. That's the American way. ... People can live their lives as they choose and children can be a great source of joy, as you know. And I welcome that.'

"But then Romney repeated his view of marriage."

Romney actually said this. He said this:

"Marriage is an institution which is designed to bring a man and woman together to raise a child and that the ideal setting for society at large is where there is a male and a female are associated with the development and nurturing a child."

So? Then he says:

"There are other ways to raise kids that's fine: single moms, grandparents raising kids, gay couples raising kids. That's the American way, to have people have their freedom of choice."

All right, well, there it is. There went the culture warrior -- bingo -- out the door. I'm sorry. I need a conservative candidate all the way who would say to a gay woman: "You know what? I'm very sorry for your children. I think it's child abuse for you to raise children. And I don't mean to insult you personally, but this is a large cultural issue. The society is collapsing. Marriage is a fragile institution and I think you're making a mockery of it in this manner by doing this."

That would have been the proper answer.

—M.J.M.

Michael Maio is an intern at Media Matters for America.