Bachmann Attacks Marriage Equality in Iowa

Minnesota congresswoman and potential Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann delivered a fiery, Scripture-infused speech Monday in Iowa, where she said that marriage equality defied "5,000 recorded years of human history."

Politicoreports on the speech from the Tea Party favorite to social conservatives at the Iowa Family Leader presidential lecture series. In addition to her comments about marriage, she called for abolishing the tax code, the Department of Education and labeled Planned Parenthood the "LensCrafters of big abortion."

On marriage equality, Bachmann called for a ballot measure in her home state and said, "In 5,000 years of recorded human history ... neither in the East or in the West ... has any society ever defined marriage as anything other than between men and women," Bachmann said during the latest installment of the Iowa Family Leader's presidential lecture series. "Not one in 5,000 years of recorded human history. That's an astounding fact and it isn't until the last 12 years or so that we have seen for the first time in recorded human history marriage defined as anything other than between men and between women."

Politico reports that Bachmann addressed 100 people at the lecture series, organized by former Iowa gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats. The antigay activist led the campaign to oust three of the state supreme court justices who joined the unanimous vote for marriage equality in 2009.