EUROPE/SPAIN - “Reasons why marriage and adoption should remain unchanged”: Hazteoir sends paper to Congress members in view of June 30 vote. “We trust that the fact that so many countries have not undertaken this sort of reform may provoke serious reflection”

Madrid (Fides Service) - A paper with the title “Reasons why marriage and adoption cannot be changed” prepared by Hazteoir team of experts has been sent to members of Spain’s parliament in view of a second and final vote on June 30 with regard to amendments to the Civil Code with regard to marriage and adoption. A copy of the paper was sent to Fides. The document has six parts: concise answers to confute pro-reform arguments; legal reasons; reasons for and against from associations and professionals; results of opinion surveys; studies; Conclusion: why it is not homophobia to oppose this law.
Part one analyses and responds to the most common reasons put forward in favour of same sex marriage: “it is better to be adopted by a couple of homosexuals than die of hunger”, but who said children dying of hunger want to be adopted and then there are many parents waiting to adopt; “by passing this law Spain will be on the level with the rest of the western countries” - but no other country has a law like the one proposed in Spain; “people who oppose the law are new-conservatives” when in fact the institutions of marriage and the family are anterior to ideologies and people of all different political parties oppose the law; “until today marriage had a certain form, but today the law must be changed because society has evolved”, laws are based on reality, they are a frame for the reality they do not change it. The reality of marriage lies in nature the law serves only to regulate it.
Part two examines laws in the world and shows that no other country has a law like the one proposed by the government of Spain. It mentions international sentences prohibiting homosexual marriage. With regard to the law various Spanish national juridical bodies have voiced disapproval of the law which is unconstitutional.
There are very few studies on the question and it is impossible to reach any authentic conclusions. On no account can it be argued that scientific studies endorse adoption by homosexual couples.
In conclusion the document recalls that in the three countries where similar laws have been passed the matter is the subject of national debates and even popular referendums: “We trust that the fact that so many countries have not undertaken this sort of reform may provoke serious reflection”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 28/6/2005, righe 35, parole 504)