Group to drop Laura Bush from pro-gay marriage ad after complaint

Respect for Marriage said Thursday that it would drop Laura Bush from a pro-gay marriage advertising campaign after a complaint from the former first lady.

“We used public comments for this ad from American leaders who have expressed support for civil marriage. We appreciate Mrs. Bush’s previous comments but are sorry she didn’t want to be included in an ad. The ad launched a public education campaign that will now move to new and different voices that reflect the depth and breadth of our support," the Respect for Marriage coalition said in a statement.

Earlier Thursday, a spokeswoman for Bush said she had requested the group stop using her likeness.

“Mrs. Bush did not approve of her inclusion in this advertisement nor is she associated in any way with the group that made the ad,” Anne MacDonald wrote in a statement obtained by CNN.

In the ad, Bush is shown saying she believes that "when couples are committed to each other and love each other, then they ought to have the same sort of rights that everyone has."

Former President George W. Bush notably opposed gay marriage, although his daughter Barbara has appeared in an ad for the Human Rights Campaign, and former Vice President Cheney, whose lesbian daughter is married, has also supported same-sex weddings.

The commercial features both Cheney and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, along with Democrats including President Obama.

The group will replace the ad featuring politicians with a new spot over the weekend that features a Republican military veteran named Craig Stowell. The coalition plans to spend $1 million on the television and print campaign.

The controversy comes roughly a month before the Supreme Court is slated to hear oral arguments in cases challenging the constitutionality of state laws banning same-sex marriage.

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