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Latvian President Vetoes Anti-Discrimination Bill With “Sexual Orientation” Language Removed

By John Jalsevac

LATVIA, June 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Less than a week after the Latvian parliament refused to bow to EU demands to insert “sexual orientation” into employment anti-discrimination laws, the Latvian president has vetoed the bill and sent it back to Parliament for a revote.

President Vaira Vike-Freiberga wrote a letter to parliament explaining her reasons for vetoing the bill.

“Allow me to remind the members that during Latvia’s pre-accession negotiations with the European Union, as well as during the process of transposing EU directives, no objections were raised to recognising discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation as a form of discrimination,” she wrote.

Vike-Freiberga did, however, give a nod to the underlying concerns of the morally traditional Latvian parliament and people by suggesting in her letter that the proposed legislation would not affect and did not directly pertain to family values. Reports of the initial vote in parliament abound with accusations that the debates surrounding the legislation were filled with “homophobic” sentiments. One of the members of the parliament called homosexuality “immoral.”

“I wish to bring some clarity to this matter,”  wrote the president, “and separate the discussion about the defence of traditional family values from the discussion about a person’s right to form legal employment relations.” The proposed legislation, she argued, only protects a person’s right to gain employment based upon merit and skill, and does not condone morally reprehensible personal behaviour.

Parliament, however, argues that current legislation in place, which bans discrimination in general, is sufficient, and that it is not necessary to specifically list “sexual orientation.”

In response to this argument Vike-Freiberga repeatedly points out that according to the strict regulations governing Latvia’s entry into the EU, Latvia must add the specific language “sexual orientation” into anti-discrimination laws, as all other EU countries have done.
 
Since its entry into the EU Latvia has several times refused to follow the strict ideological trends of the Union, causing consternation amongst EU members, and doubt about Latvia’s security in the EU. In December of 2005 Latvia passed a constitutional amendment protecting the traditional definition of marriage, thereby protecting Latvia’s family-friendly law code from being tampered with by activist judges, as has happened elsewhere in the world, including Canada and the United States.

Sophie in’t Veld, MEP from the Dutch party, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, said after the amendment was passed that “The European Parliament has to raise its voice against the right-wing and homophobic elements in European politics who would like to re-impose their backward and homophobic values on the rest of society.”

Read the full unofficial translation of the president’s letter to the Latvian parliament:
http://ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/2006june/2104.htm

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Latvia Defies EU, Again: No “Sexual-Orientation” Language in Employment Discrimination Laws
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06061606.html

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