Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush rallied a group of conservative Christians on Friday to express unwavering support for traditional marriage, as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of same-sex marriage in the United States.
Speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference, Bush strongly advocated for the right of Americans who support traditional marriage to stand up and practice what they believe in, as part of a democratic society.
"In a country like ours, we should recognize the power of a man and a woman loving their children with all their soul as a good thing, as something positive and helpful for those children to live successful lives," Bush said during the conference.
"And while there are people who disagree with this, we should not push aside those who do believe in traditional marriage," the former Florida governor said.
Bush added that he will continue to push for the importance of traditional marriage regardless of the high court's upcoming ruling on same-sex unions.
"I for one believe it's important and I think it's got to be important over the long haul, irrespective of what the courts say," he said.
The presidential aspirant, however, did not categorically say if he will support amendment to the Constitution that will limit marriage to a man and a woman.
Bush likewise said that advocates of same-sex marriage should allow believers of traditional unions to practice what their conscience think is right.
"We need to make sure that we protect the right not just of having religious views, but the right of acting on those religious views," the Republican candidate said.
"Conscience should also be respected for people of faith who want to take a stand for traditional marriage," he added.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to issue a decision this month on whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to get married.
The same ruling is also expected to settle the issue on whether states should be required to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed in other states.
