Same-sex couples unions will be given full legal recognition, and civic officials will be obliged to preside at same-sex weddings, under a proposal to be introduced by the French government.
The law will also clear the way for adoption by same-sex couples. However the government does not plan any new initiatives to make assisted-reproduction techniques accessible to homosexual couples.
Justice minister Christiane Taubira told La Croix that no exceptions would be allowed for mayors who are personally opposed to same-sex marriage. “The mayors are public officials who represent the state when they celebrate marriage,” said Taubira. “We are a state of law, the civil code is going to be amended, it applies to everyone.”
Monthly Archives: September 2012
New Liberal French Government Plans Gay Marriage Push in October With No Exceptions for Conscientious Objectors
September 17, 2012 – 9:00 am
Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Lawsuit Advances
September 17, 2012 – 8:00 am
Why we need the Marriage Protection Amendment:
Lawyers for the state of Minnesota and Hennepin County are quarreling in court over which should defend the state's ban on gay marriage.
At issue at a Hennepin County District Court hearing Friday was a lawsuit by three gay couples seeking to overturn the ban. The defendant is the Hennepin County official who issues marriage licenses, but the state and county each think the other should mount his defense and pay court costs.
A state lawyer says marriage licenses are a county function. An assistant Hennepin County attorney says it's a state law being enforced and thus the state's responsibility to enforce.
Judge Mary Dufresne has 90 days to decide. The lawsuit is moving ahead even as a statewide vote approaches to put the gay marriage ban in the constitution. -- AP
The New York Times on "Why Fathers Really Matter"
September 16, 2012 – 12:00 pm
Because biology matters:MOTHERHOOD begins as a tempestuously physical experience but quickly becomes a political one. Once a woman's pregnancy goes public, the storm moves outside. Don't pile on the pounds! Your child will be obese. Don't eat too little, or your baby will be born too small. For heaven's sake, don't drink alcohol. Oh, please: you can sip some wine now and again. And no matter how many contradictory things the experts say, don't panic. Stress hormones wreak havoc on a baby's budding nervous system.
All this advice rains down on expectant mothers for the obvious reason that mothers carry babies and create the environments in which they grow. What if it turned out, though, that expectant fathers molded babies, too, and not just by way of genes?
Biology is making it clearer by the day that a man's health and well-being have a measurable impact on his future children's health and happiness. This is not because a strong, resilient man has a greater likelihood of being a fabulous dad - or not only for that reason - or because he's probably got good genes. Whether a man's genes are good or bad (and whatever "good" and "bad" mean in this context), his children's bodies and minds will reflect lifestyle choices he has made over the years, even if he made those choices long before he ever imagined himself strapping on a Baby Bjorn.
Doctors have been telling men for years that smoking, drinking and recreational drugs can lower the quality of their sperm. What doctors should probably add is that the health of unborn children can be affected by what and how much men eat; the toxins they absorb; the traumas they endure; their poverty or powerlessness; and their age at the time of conception. In other words, what a man needs to know is that his life experience leaves biological traces on his children. Even more astonishingly, those children may pass those traces along to their children. -- The New York Times
Rick Warren: "Don't Apologize for Voting for the Sanctity of Marriage"
September 16, 2012 – 10:00 am
Just two months ahead of the November presidential election, Pastor Rick Warren said Sunday that Christians should gain courage and not apologize for voting in accordance with their worldview.
"You don't need to apologize for voting for a Christian worldview which stands up for the sanctity of life, the sanctity of sex and the sanctity of marriage. You don't need to apologize for that because everybody votes what they believe," Warren told thousands of Saddleback Church attendees at the launch of a new sermon series.
The Southern California pastor said those three issues (life, sex, marriage) are non-negotiables for Christians. While they may disagree on the economy or health care, what believers must be firm on is protecting the unborn, viewing sex as holy, and protecting traditional marriage.
"If you call yourself a Christian, you need to line up with what God says is the original intent of all three of these things," he preached.
Petition Supporting Traditional Marriage in UK Tops 600,000 Signatures
September 15, 2012 – 12:00 pm
Pro-Marriage People Power!
A petition that opposes the British government's plans to redefine marriage began to acquire names since February, and already has more the 600,000 signatures.
The petition was first started by the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) and was created back in February. Since that time it has expanded to become largest active campaign in the United Kingdom.
The petition urges the government officials to maintain the current definition of traditional marriage as the union between one man and one woman. There currently are plans within parliament to redefine traditional marriage as including same-sex marriage.
There has been wide public resistance to redefine marriage in the U.K. and a recent ComRes poll showed that nearly 70 percent of people were against redefining traditional marriage. -- The Christian Post
Human Rights Lawyer: UK Teachers Could Be Fired If They Don't Agree With SSM
September 15, 2012 – 10:00 am
If gay marriage is legalised teachers and others could be forced out of their jobs if they fail to endorse such unions, a top lawyer says.
Parents would have no right to insist that their children are withdrawn from school lessons across the curriculum that approve of same-sex marriage.
Chaplains who work in the NHS or the Armed Forces could be dismissed if they preach that marriage is just between a man and a woman.
Foster carers could be barred from looking after children if they say they disagree with allowing two people of the same sex to marry.
And religious groups could be banned from using public buildings over their support for traditional marriage.
Leading human rights lawyer Aidan O’Neill QC has written a legal opinion on the civil liberty implications if marriage is redefined.
Maryland Young Adults: Don't Redefine Marriage!
September 14, 2012 – 2:00 pm
This from the Maryland Catholic Conference:
"Young adults in Maryland say loud and clear: "Don't redefine marriage in Maryland." Vote "Against" Question 6 on November 6, 2012."
Video: FRC's Tony Perkins Explains How Marriage Will Help Romney in Swing States This November
September 14, 2012 – 1:00 pm
At a luncheon hosted at the National Press Club, Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council explains why marriage will help Mitt Romney in swing states this November:
Buffalo Senate Race: It Isn't Over
September 14, 2012 – 12:30 pm
Mark Grisanti, one of the four GOP betrayers won the GOP nomination in Buffalo.
But Chuck Swanick still has the Conservative Party line in November -- and he pulled in 30% in the Democratic primary.
40% of Republicans voted against Grisanti and as this political consultant notes:
"Primaries in the Democratic Party are different than in the Republican Party. They're expected in the Democratic Party. They're not, in the Republican Party," said Carl J. Calabrese, a Republican former deputy Erie County executive who supported Grisanti in Thursday's vote.
"Because they're not expected, they tend to be nastier. Bad blood tends to linger longer in the Republican Party over primary fights." -- Buffalo News
Remember Dede Scozzafava?
It isn't over.
NOM Helps Defeat Two New York Senators Who Voted to Redefine Marriage
September 14, 2012 – 12:25 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2012
Contact: Elizabeth Ray or Jen Campbell (703-683-5004)
Defeated Incumbents Bring to Four Those Who Have Lost Their Seats over Supporting Same-sex Marriage
Washington, D.C.—The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today celebrated the defeat of two incumbent state Senators who voted to redefine marriage in New York. NOM played a pivotal role in helping to defeat the incumbents, Roy McDonald and Shirley Huntley. In addition, Neil DiCarlo, a NOM-backed challenger to Stephen Saland, was locked in a razor-close battle and expects to defeat the incumbent when final absentee votes are counted.
"Marriage was redefined in New York because of six turncoat Senators, and we vowed we would not rest until they were removed from office," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "We've now taken out four of the six who betrayed marriage, and we're going to finish the job with the remaining two."
Senator James Alesi was driven from his reelection race by NOM's pledge to defeat him. Senator Carl Kruger was forced to resign, and NOM helped elect pro-marriage Republican David Storobin to replace him. McDonald was defeated in the Republican primary by pro-marriage candidate Kathy Marchione. NOM was a major supporter of Marchione, sending two district-wide mailers and launching thousands of telephone calls. And Huntley was defeated in the Democratic primary by pro-marriage candidate James Sanders. NOM also sent two mailers and thousands of telephone calls opposing Huntley.
"When marriage was redefined, Andrew Cuomo and his billionaire friends like Paul Singer and Michael Bloomberg said they'd protect anyone who voted against marriage from political harm. Now look at the political carnage they have wrought," said Brown. "Four of their six Senators are [gone], and the other two will be soon. Neil DiCarlo expects to defeat Sen. Saland when all the votes are cast. And we will vigorously oppose Mark Grisanti in the general election. If that results in Dean Skelos losing his Senate majority, so be it. Skelos is also responsible for redefining marriage because he authorized the vote in the first instance."
Brown continued, "The people of New York have sent a clear and unequivocal message—they will not tolerate politicians, Democrat of Republican, who redefine marriage. It's laughable when groups like the Human Rights Campaign say that nobody has ever lost a race for supporting same-sex marriage. The landscape is littered with the failed political careers of such politicians, including now these four (soon to be six) incumbents in New York."
###
To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130), [email protected], or Jen Campbell (x145), [email protected], at 703-683-5004.
Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).
Video: Local News Reports Minnesota Protection Amendment Headed for Victory in November
September 14, 2012 – 12:00 pm
Local KTSP reports on the findings of their new poll showing the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment in the lead.
As we reported earlier, the survey found the Marriage Protection Amendment leading 50%-43% with 8% undecided:
AP: Saland's GOP Primary Challenge Hinged on His SSM Vote
September 14, 2012 – 11:30 am
The Associated Press on the other too-close-to-call race:
New York state Sen. Stephen Saland (suh-LAND') was in a tight fight in his first Republican primary in 20 years that hinged on his decision to support same-sex marriage.
According to unofficial results Thursday night, Saland was in a race too close to call against Neil DiCarlo, the chief compliance officer for a Wall Street equities firm.
Saland, of Poughkeepsie, was one of four Republicans who voted last June to approve same-sex marriage, a historic moment that made New York the sixth and by far the largest to legalize gay weddings.
After the vote, conservative Republicans vowed to knock Saland and the other three from office by running aggressive primaries. Two others, Sens. Roy McDonald of Saratoga County and Mark Grisanti (grih-SAHN'-tee) of Buffalo, also faced primaries Thursday. The fourth, James Alesi (uh-LEE'-see) of Rochester, retired.
Cardinal Dolan Offers Prayer for Marriage at DNC; Activists Tweet F-Bombs in Response
September 14, 2012 – 11:00 am
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City gave the closing benediction at the Democratic National Committee's convention and offered this line which is a veiled way of praying for the upkeep of the institution of marriage:
"We praise and thank you for granting us the life and the liberty by which we can pursue happiness. Show us anew that happiness is found only in respecting the laws of nature and of nature’s God. Empower us with your grace so that we might resist the temptation to replace the moral law with idols of our own making, or to remake those institutions you have given us for the nurturing of life and community."
As Steve Ertelt reports, numerous Democratic and gay marriage activists responded on Twitter by hurling the f-bomb at Cardinal Dolan.
Albany Times Union: McDonald Race a "Reminder ...Grass-Roots Are At Least An Even Match" for the GOP Establishment
September 14, 2012 – 10:30 am
The Albany Times Union gets it: "the close race for McDonald was a reminder that a solid portion of the Republican base remains uncomfortable with same-sex marriage, and that grass-roots insurgents are at least an even match for the party's establishment candidates."
More from their coverage:
"...Unofficial numbers have Marchione ahead 6,792 to [McDonald's] 6,656.
No one was conceding the race, and lawyers for the campaign will negotiate how absentee ballots will be counted in coming days and weeks.
Though she always maintained her platform is broader, Marchione's challenge to McDonald became a localized referendum on his 2011 vote to legalize same-sex marriage.
A reminder about the financial differences between the two candidates:
"The race between Mr. McDonald and Ms. Marchione is the most expensive legislative primary in New York this year. Mr. McDonald has raised more than $926,000 in this campaign cycle, thanks in part to help from supporters of same-sex marriage, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who donated $10,300. Ms. Marchione, by contrast, has raised more than $180,000." -- The New York Times
Catholic University Under Investigation for Following Church Teaching About Sexuality
September 14, 2012 – 10:00 am
The national agency which grants accreditation to social work courses is questioning Franciscan University of Steubenville over a course which lists homosexuality as a deviant behavior. Attention was drawn to the course by a group of Franciscan University alumni, identifying themselves as “Franciscan Gay Alumni & Allies”, who are demanding publicly that the university “revise its course descriptions and to stop contributing the culture of hate and ignorance.”
... In a written statement to LifeSiteNews, the university explains that the course uses the term “deviant” as used in the sociological sense, to mean “different from the norm.” In addition, the university stated, “Franciscan University follows Catholic Church teaching in regard to homosexuality and treats homosexual persons with ‘respect, compassion, and sensitivity’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2358) while holding homosexual acts as ‘intrinsically disordered.’ “
The statement goes on to say that the course description is an abbreviation of chapter headings from the course textbook, which is used by a number of other universities, including both secular and religious institutions.
Stephen Holloway, director of the school’s accrediting agency, Council on Social Work Education, in an interview with NPR (National Public Radio), stated the inclusion of homosexuality as a deviant behavior in the description “raises a red flag”.
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