Marriage, Civil Partnerships and the Pope

The primary definition of “marriage” according to the Oxford Dictionary is “the legal union of a man and a woman in order to live together and often to have children”.

Same sex legal arrangements, unions, partnerships, coexistences or other descriptions for the purpose of state recognition of the longevity of a social arrangement is not “marriage” by definition. An objective of the same sex union lobby appears to be to eliminate the meaning of words that define difference in the social arena. Thus the word “marriage” slowly morphs into ambiguity. This has intended consequences for adoption and issues related to children. I object.

There is a civil society need for the codification of same sex intimate living arrangements and civil partnerships particularly in the areas of consent to treatment, inheritance, mortgages, guardianship of children, pensions and other financial arrangements. The law should reflect this reality as a civil right.

But the Irish Independent headline 12 January 2010, “Same-sex marriage threat to creation, says Pope” is obviously absurd. Only a small minority will enter same sex legal relationships. To dub this development as a threat to creation is hyperbolical nonsense. Same Vatican, same story!