W. Todd Akin: “I rise to support the Ryun amendment. What this amendment does is it protects that long-standing and high standard that…”

“I rise to support the Ryun amendment. What this amendment does is it protects that long-standing and high standard that is affirmed by our oath of allegiance, and it has been referred to that this is a solemn moment, a proud moment, and for many people, it is a dream that has come true. Let us try to put this in a little bit of a perspective. This is, in a sense, a form of what is sometimes called in old-fashioned language a covenant, a covenant between a people and a person who wants to join a nation. What are other types of covenants? One of them is a marriage, where a man and a woman pledge allegiance to each other equally. So this is a solemn moment. Try to picture yourself getting married and saying, yes, I want to get married, but I have got a couple of other marriages going, too. That is not going to fly very well. What this does, this is a dream come true. This is a commitment to a country and to a way of life and to a set of principles. It is something that has always been held in high regard. I think it is totally appropriate for this Chamber to control some bureaucrats that just want to change language and water it down.”