Wednesday July 5, 2006
Ban on Homosexual “Marriage” Introduced in Philippines Parliament
By Gudrun Schultz
MANILA, Philippines, July 5, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Legislation that
would prevent marriage between transsexuals, and would remove current
recognition of existing same-sex unions from Philippines law have been
introduced in both the Congress and the Senate. The measures have been
brought forward as legislators react to recent local court rulings
allowing transsexuals to change their legal status from male to female.
House Bill 1245, introduced by representative Rozzano Rufino Biazon,
“prohibits marriages between two men, one of whom had a sex exchange
[sic.] operation and between two women, one of whom also had a sex
exchange [sic.] operation.” The bill would only allow marriage
between “natural born males and natural born females.”
Transsexual marriages, Biazon said, would violate the laws of God, of man and of nature.
“This bill seeks to amend the Family Code to prohibit such marriages.
Aside from being against the laws of God and the laws of nature,
marriages under these circumstances are against the interest of society
in general. Not only does it stretch the limits of custom, tradition
and social norms, it endangers the interests of those entering into
marriages who might not realize that the person they intend to marry,
have children and spend the rest of their lives with, is originally of
the same biological make up as they.”
Rozzano Biazon’s father, Senator Rodolfo Biazon, introduced an identical bill to the Senate as counterpart.
A Senate bill that would prevent transsexual marriages performed
outside the country from receiving legal recognition was also brought
forward. Legislation currently in place left room for the recognition
of foreign same-sex unions by failing to specify gender requirements.
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, who sponsored the measure, said,
“marriage is a union founded on the distinction of sex. That
contracting parties must be of different sex is, in fact, a requirement
under the provisions on legal capacity.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has urged lawmakers
to refuse recognition to homosexual civil unions. Following the
Vatican’s 2003 release of a document on homosexual unions, stating that
such unions are not morally acceptable and may not be given legal
recognition, the secretary-general of the CBCP, Msgr. Hernando Coronel,
said the Philippine bishops “value and share the Vatican’s stand.”
“[T]he bishops conference urges the legislature to consider the law of
God [and] natural law in formation of human law. The bishops appeal to
the members of Congress not to legalize what is immoral, to legitimize
what is unethical, to make human law that is contrary to divine law.”
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Philippine Congress Passes Gay Rights Law
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/feb/04020505.html
Philippine AIDS Rate Has Doubled Coinciding with Increase of Condom Use
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06020308.html
South African, Polish and Philippine Bishops Praise Vatican Document on Homosexual Unions
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/aug/03081802.html
New Vatican Document on Homosexual Unions
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/jul/030731a.html
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