News
Gay marriage: Government Consultation Begins
March 15, 2012 Nicola  |
A 12 week consultation has been launched by the government on allowing gay couples in England and Wales to marry.
Civil partnerships, introduced in 2005, have already given gay couples the same legal rights as married couples. Nevertheless, the government wants to continue with progress by allowing gay couples to make vows and declare they are married before the next general election in 2015.
However, the proposal is opposed by some senior church figures as well as a number of Conservative MPs who argue it will undermine traditional family values.
While in opposition, Prime Minister David Cameron backed a move to consider allowing civil partnerships to be classified as marriage.
Nonetheless, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, told BBC reporters that the “grotesque” plans would “shame the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world” if implemented.
A week later, two of the Roman Catholic Church’s most senior archbishops’ read a letter across England and Wales from the Church saying the change would reduce the significance of marriage and it was the duty of all Roman Catholics to ensure it does not happen.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, has also said the law should not be used as a tool to bring about social changes such as gay marriage.
The chief executive of gay rights charity Stonewall, Ben Summerskill, told BBC reporters that the issue was neither about party politics nor religious freedom. Instead, he argued:
“Ultimately it’s about the freedom of a small group of people to be treated in exactly the same way as everyone else.”
By Kate Wilson
[Image courtesy of G.dalloroto]
