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 Ramona August, CC

May 16, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — The people of Romania have spoken.

In a country of approximately 20 million people, more than 3 million have signed a petition to enshrine in their constitution marriage between a man and a woman. In this way, the definition of marriage could be neither bent nor broken to accommodate homosexual partnerships, essentially banning same-sex “marriages” in the Christian country.

The petition, a project of Romania’s Coalition for Family, seeks to clarify the definition of marriage by stating ‘the family is founded on the freely consented marriage between a man and a woman, their equality, and the right and duty of parents to ensure the upbringing, education, and instruction of children.’

The clarification is necessary because Romania’s Constitution as it now stands speaks of “marriage between spouses,” written during an earlier period in history when “spouses” always implied marital relationships as between one man and one woman. To withstand current social and political forces that seek to exploit the now insufficiently descriptive language, an amendment to the constitution is required.

The expressed will of the people is now in the hands of legislators. As of May 9, legislation is advancing. Romania’s lower house — the Chamber of Deputies — voted overwhelmingly to change the constitution, with 232 votes in favor, 22 against, and 13 abstentions.

The measure moves to Romania’s Senate, where as with the lower house, a two-thirds majority is required for passage.

If the Senate gives its approval, a national referendum must be held within 30 days, requiring a minimum of nearly five million votes from the citizenry to clarify the law.

Strong statements have come from supporters on both sides of the issue.

Vlad Viski, president of Romania’s LGBTI group MozaiQ, told Gay Star News that he blames “the Orthodox Church and the American-sponsored neo-protestant groups,” and that it is “shameful … to approve [this] initiative to change the Romanian Constitution.”  

Speaking on behalf of the measure, National Liberal Party deputy Daniel Gheorghe told Adevarul News, “The identity and values of the society we live in have lately been under attack around the world. Family has become a target. The relativization of morals aims to achieve the relativization of the family. No rights are curtailed by this measure. It is only a clarification of legislation, and a strengthening of what family means in Romania.”