According to Lynne Featherstone, the Equalities Minister, "civil gay marriages would be
law by the next general election despite the strength of opposition from
church leaders".
She added, "There is no rolling back whatsoever ... The essential question is not whether we are going to introduce same-sex civil marriage but how."
So what, exactly, is the point of the goverment's consultation? And who decided this would happen?
She added, "There is no rolling back whatsoever ... The essential question is not whether we are going to introduce same-sex civil marriage but how."
So what, exactly, is the point of the goverment's consultation? And who decided this would happen?
Surely then the consultation process is prejudiced be for it starts. Or is the consultation process consulting on how same sex marriage will be introduced? What's the point?
ReplyDeleteIsn't interesting that, now with some the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church Bishops have come out against "Same Sex Marriages", the government have now stated that they are redefining Civil/state defined marriage? (Read The Times article by Theresa May) Yet they still miss the point.
Richard Wood
Leytonstone
The word 'how' is very significant here, I feel.
ReplyDeleteIt would be one thing to create a parallel stream for Gay Marriage, a sort of 'Civil Partnership Plus', whilst retaining the current legislation and definitions of heterosexual marriage. It would be quite another (and I think much more worrying) to try to create a single umbrella for homosexual and heterosexual marriages. Without getting too biological, the latter would inevitably lead to a loosening of the definitions of consummation and adultery, and effectively 'de-sex' our legal understanding of marriage, and in time erode our cultural understanding as well.
Given that there are 20m married people in the UK - a third of our population - a lowering of the 'gold standard' of marriage represents a great threat to our societal fabric.