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Category Archives: Europe

Gay Marriage is a Vote Loser

October 4, 2013 – 9:00 am

In England, a recent report showed that nearly two-thirds of MP's believe that supporting gay 'marriage' is a 'vote loser.' And reports from local Conservative associations show a rapid decline in membership, with gay marriage seen as one of the reasons. Now even the Prime Minister, David Cameron, is saying that he regrets "forcing" marriage redefinition through the Parliament.

Thumbs Down The same can be said in America. Despite the droning drumbeat of the mainstream media, nearly two-thirds – 65 percent – of Americans disapprove of redefining marriage.

During the November 2012 elections, true marriage out-polled the Romney campaign in all four states marriage was on the ballot – by double digit margins!

It seems English politicians have already learned what the GOP in America – and all its candidates – need to grasp. Defending marriage as one man and one woman is a winning issue at the polls.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Politics, Polling, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments Off

England’s Prime Minister Jubilant Over Possible New Top “Export”

July 26, 2013 – 11:00 am

British Prime Minister David Cameron is apparently not content with having spearheaded the passage of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom; he now wants to spread it across the globe! In a recent speech, Cameron said, “I want to export gay marriage around the world…as you know, I talk about the global race, about how we’ve got to export more and sell more so I’m going to export the bill team. I think they can be part of this global race and take it around the world.”

The Telegraph points out that the ebullient Cameron four times stated his pride in the legislation’s passage during his talk, saying on one occasion: “I’m personally proud of this. I think I’m probably the only Conservative Prime Minister who’s taken this step, but I’m very proud to have taken it.”

You can read about Cameron’s grandiose plan for global marriage redefinition here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Europe, Law, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments Off

God Save the Queen? Queen Elizabeth Gives “Royal Assent” to SSM in England, Wales

July 18, 2013 – 5:12 pm

The Washington Post reports that Queen Elizabeth II has given “royal assent” to a same-sex marriage bill that has recently passed in both of Great Britain’s legislative houses. This assent comes despite the fact that the Queen is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, which opposes same-sex marriage.

ssm_bus_england The bill had the full support of Prime Minister David Cameron, despite strong opposition by his Conservative Party. Cameron’s support appears to have come at a high political price with the article noting that, “some political commentators predict Cameron’s gay-friendly attitudes will cost him at the next election in 2015.”

The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales also fought the bill and quickly condemned its passage: “With this new legislation, marriage has now become an institution in which openness to children, and with it the responsibility on fathers and mothers to remain together to care for children born into their family unit, are no longer central. That is why we were opposed to this legislation on principle.”

You can read the rest of this article here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Catholic Church, Europe, Marriage, Politics, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments Off

New Danish Study of 6.5 Million: Health Benefits of Marriage are Unique to Male-Female Unions

June 12, 2013 – 11:00 am

A new study in the Journal of Epidemiology followed 6.5 million Danish persons for nearly 30 years (for a total of 112.5 million person-years) looking at how living arrangements (being single, cohabiting, married, widowed or in a same-sex union) affected their health outcomes.

IJE From the official abstract:

"[Hazard Ratios] for overall mortality changed markedly over time, most notably for persons in same-sex marriage. In 2000–2011, opposite-sex married persons (reference, HR = 1) had consistently lower mortality than persons in other marital status categories in women (HRs 1.37–1.89) and men (HRs 1.37–1.66). Mortality was particularly high for same-sex married women (HR = 1.89), notably from suicide (HR = 6.40) and cancer (HR = 1.62), whereas rates for same-sex married men (HR = 1.38) were equal to or lower than those for unmarried, divorced and widowed men. Prior marriages (whether opposite-sex or same-sex) were associated with increased mortality in both women and men (HR = 1.16–1.45 per additional prior marriage)."

The conclusion of the authors:

"Our study provides a detailed account of living arrangements and their associations with mortality over three decades, thus yielding accurate and statistically powerful analyses of public health relevance to countries with marriage and cohabitation patterns comparable to Denmark’s. Of note, mortality among same-sex married men has declined markedly since the mid-1990s and is now at or below that of unmarried, divorced and widowed men, whereas same-sex married women emerge as the group of women with highest and, in recent years, even further increasing mortality."

Commentary from the English Manif blog:

"During 2000 to 2011, Danish male-female married couples were the healthiest and least likely to die at various ages compared with individuals who were unmarried, divorced or widowed. In contrast, same-sex married men in Denmark were no healthier than unmarried men. Same-sex married women had much higher mortality rates than other women, including the ones who were unmarried, divorced or widowed. There was no apparent marriage “benefit” in terms of better health or longer life for these same-sex married women.

While this is just one study that needs to be supplemented by more research, it does suggest that the health benefits of marriage may be unique to the male-female union. Governments may try to legislate a revised version of “marriage,” but they cannot legislate the health and longevity benefits that come from a man marrying a woman."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Marriage, Research/Study, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (32)

Marriage Redefinition Fails in Northern Ireland

April 29, 2013 – 2:15 pm

From the Belfast Telegraph:

Unionists voted down a motion at Stormont's Assembly which called on the power-sharing ministerial Executive to legislate.

[...] DUP Finance Minister Sammy Wilson defended his party's veto and said colleagues would use it again to defeat "reckless" legislation.

Congrats to the brave DUP for standing up for families and the rights of children.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe | Comments (14)

Finland Rejects Bill to Make Marriage Gender-Neutral

March 4, 2013 – 10:30 am

Even in some northern Europe countries, efforts to redefine marriage can't get out of committee:

The Finnish parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted narrowly to reject a bill to legalise equal marriage.

The bill, proposed by the National Coalition Party (NCP) minister Alexander Stubb proposed the bill, which would have made marriage gender-neutral, therefore allowing same-sex couples to marry.

It was rejected 9 votes to 8, and so it will not go before the full legislature for consideration.

The bill would have made regulations relating to marriage equal for all, irrespective of the gender of the partners. In Finland, gay and lesbian couples can currently register their partnerships, but do not automatically take each others’ surnames, or adopt children, reports YLE. (PinkNews)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

Italian Bishop Confined to Home by Gay Marriage Demonstration

January 30, 2013 – 9:00 am

CWN:

An Italian archbishop has revealed that he was confined to his home, forced to remain inside his “besieged” residence, when homosexual activists staged a protest there earlier this month, and warned that gay-rights campaigners aim to prosecute all who oppose their agenda.

... Archbishop Crepaldi said that the protest was organized against him because of “the false and very grave accusation of being intolerant and racist.” He said that gay-rights activists are determined to gain approval for same-sex marriage, and toward that end will accuse all opponents of “homophobia.”

The archbishop warned that the goal of the demonstrators was to define “homophobia” as a crime, in order for “those who say publicly--as the Catholic Church has always done--that the real family is only that founded on marriage between a man and a woman, to be declared homophobic, intolerant, racist, and therefore, subject to criminal prosecution.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Civility, Culture, Europe, Free Speech, Marriage, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Video: European Court of Human Rights Cases Discussed on BBC News

January 19, 2013 – 11:00 am

The BBC reviews the decisions made in the cases of four Christians, three of whom lost their bids to defend their conscience rights:

Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre says at one point: "... in the case of Lillian Ladele, [there was never] any refusal of a service to any homosexual couple. So I think here we have to really get a sense of perspective on what is happening, what have the English courts said? They've said this: your freedom to manifest your faith is your freedom to resign. Well of course that's no freedom at all."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Marriage, MarriageADA, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments (8)

Italy's Prime Minister Says No to Gay Marriage

January 18, 2013 – 11:00 am

GayStarNews:

Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti, who is running for re-election in February, has rejected same-sex marriage.

Interviewed by SkyTg 24, Monti explained: ‘I think that a family is only made of a man and a woman. Children should grow with a father and a mother.’

But he indicated he was in favor of giving same-sex partners some of the rights and responsibilities of married heterosexuals.

‘A parliament could find good solutions for civil partnerships or civil unions. But we can not call them “families”,’ he said.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (30)

BCN: Nearly One Million March for Marriage in Paris

January 17, 2013 – 11:30 am

Actually, event organizers peg the attendance at over 1,000,000:

World Congress of Families (WCF) hailed Sunday's march for traditional, natural marriage in Paris. WCF Managing Director Larry Jacobs commented: "Hundreds of thousands marched in Paris yesterday, in bitterly cold temperatures, to oppose plans by President Francois Hollande to force a bill legalizing so-called same-sex marriage through the parliament. Yesterday's march, supported by the French Catholic hierarchy, was an impassioned outpouring in defense of marriage, children, and the natural family. It demonstrates, once again, that the push for 'same-sex marriage' is driven by elites and rejected by the overwhelming majority of families worldwide."

...Jacobs concluded: "We congratulate the organizers of the Paris march and declare our solidarity with efforts to defend natural marriage in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and wherever such efforts are underway. Just as the campaign to undermine marriage . . . is international in scope, the defense of natural marriage must stretch across national boundaries to embrace families everywhere." (Breaking Christian News)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Events, France, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

European Court of Human Rights Dismisses Case of British Christian Who Wished to Opt Out of Administering S-S Civil Partnerships

January 17, 2013 – 9:00 am

A defeat for the rights of a Christian, Lillian Ladele, who lives in Britain, and her case now sets a precedent for other European countries:

"...cases [heard by the European Court of Human Rights] involved nurse Shirley Chaplin, 57, whose employer also stopped her wearing necklaces with a cross, Gary McFarlane, 51, a marriage counsellor sacked after saying he might object to giving sex therapy advice to gay couples, and registrar Lillian Ladele who was disciplined after she refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies."

... Ms Ladele was disciplined by Islington Council, in north London, after saying she did not want to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies. Her lawyers said the service could have been performed by other employees who were prepared to carry them out.

ECHR judges said the council's action was legitimate as it was obliged to consider the rights of same-sex couples.

Mike Judge, of the Christian Institute, which backed Ms Ladele's case, said: "What this case shows is that Christians with traditional beliefs about marriage are at risk of being left out in the cold." (BBC)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Marriage, MarriageADA, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (5)

Socialist Politician Says Spanish Bishop Should be "Muzzled"

January 14, 2013 – 2:00 pm

CNA/EWTN News:

A socialist government official in Andalusia, Spain, called for a local Catholic bishop to be “muzzled” for arguing that men and women are both different and complementary.

Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba should be silenced for leveling attacks against “real and effective equality between men and women,” charged Miguel Angel Vazquez, a member of the Socialist Party and spokesman for the Andalusian provincial government.

In a Jan. 4 post on his personal blog, Vazquez labeled Bishop Fernandez “a true representative of religious fanaticism” and said that the prelate provokes “controversies that are at odds with the individual and collective rights embodied in the constitution.”

Calling the bishop’s defense of marriage and the family “backwards,” Vazquez said that he would “rather burn in hell (if it exists) than renounce equality.”

In a recent pastoral letter, Bishop Fernandez critiqued sexual philosophies that hold the differences between men and women to be a social construct rather than a biological reality.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Marriage, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)

Spain's Bishops Urge United Front Against SSM

December 2, 2012 – 9:00 am

Catholic News Service:

Spain's Catholic bishops urged political parties to unite against same-sex marriage, after it was confirmed as legal by the Constitutional Court.

"Spanish legislation on marriage is gravely unjust — it does not protect the parties' right to be recognized in law as husband and wife, nor the right of children and young people to be brought up as future husbands and wives, and to enjoy a father and mother in a stable family," the bishops' conference said after its Nov. 19-23 plenary in Madrid.

"We call again on politicians to take responsibility. Right reason demands everyone act according to conscience and beyond party discipline in this key area and that no one votes to endorse a law which so badly damages society's basic structures."

The statement follows the Nov. 6 court judgment rejecting legal challenges to the 2005 law.

The bishops said the country was "witnessing the destruction of marriage by legal means," adding that all politicians should uphold the common good by changing the law.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Catholic Church, Europe, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (10)

Matthew Schmits on French Pro-Marriage Demonstrations: "Modernity Has Not Outmoded Marriage"

October 29, 2012 – 4:00 pm

Matthew Schmitz writes at First Things about the French pro-marriage flash mobs:

"...Rather than assembling outside a church with rosaries and images of the Sacred Heart, these protestors met beneath the Grande Arche de la Défense with some Abba LP’s and a mime. They went, to borrow George Weigel’s phrasing, with the cube rather than the cathedral, and that is significant. The assertion made by such a choice is that marriage is not just a particular religious inheritance but rather something indispensable in every kind of society: Modernity has not outmoded marriage.

We can cheer this canniness while lamenting that faith has become less central to France’s national life. It also reflects a real truth, for opposition to the prime minister’s plans is coming not just from the traditional quarters of society. Another protest, scheduled for November 7, has been signed on to by several left-wing and LGBT organizations. American nightmares of French socialism and liberalism sometimes forget that it’s a country where there are organized socialists for lifeand gay men and women against gay marriage.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Europe, Events, France, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

France Delays Debate on Gay Marriage as Opposition Increases

October 23, 2012 – 2:00 pm

We've seen this happen time and time again -- gay marriage is introduced as inevitable, same-sex advocates are shocked to discover strong resistance to their plans, and traditional marriage ultimately wins:

France is delaying debate on a draft law authorizing gay marriage, as the government grapples with increasingly vocal opposition to the idea.

The legalization of same-sex marriages and adoption was one of the most contentious points in Socialist President Francois Hollande's election manifesto earlier this year.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault first named Oct. 31 as the date when government ministers would present the law, insisting there would be no backtracking.

But his office said Friday that this date has been pushed back to Nov. 7. And the debate in parliament is now expected to last until January.

On Thursday, France's Chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim joined other religious leaders in opposing the plans, while more than 1,200 French mayors and their deputies have signed a petition protesting them. -- AP