Again the same-sex mariage debate returns... And we all thought it was a done deal?The one-day Ottawa event was organized by the socially conservative lobby group Canadian Family Action Council. It was an opportunity for interested parties to speak up about reopening Bill C-38, the Civil Marriage Act, which allows any two adults to marry.
Not all religious leaders oppose same-sex marriage. One group held a press conference to support same sex marriage. Their leaders encouraged the government not to reopen the debate.
"No couple should be excluded from marriage simply because of their sexual orientation...no one else is harmed," said Elizabeth Bowden of the Unitarian Church, which has been marrying same-sex couples for several years.
Rabbi Steven Garten of Temple Israel in Ottawa spoke out against a predominantly Christian-based opposition to same-sex marriage.
"The Jewish community is not of one mind about the sanctity of marriage," said Garten. "However it is of one mind about one religion imposing limitations on the beliefs of the others."
A group of religious leaders who support the reopening of Bill C-38 also spoke. The group emphasized it isn't asking for Bill C-38 to be repealed yet -- just that it be studied more closely.
Louis Deserres of Vote Marriage Canada says the current law may protect the rights of adults at the expense of the rights of children.
"Children have a right and it's confirmed by nature," said Deserres, "Same-sex marriage says it's legal and acceptable to take away the natural parent of a child."
What the f*ck is she talking about here, "taking away the natural parent of a child." Is she really against adoption and artificial insemination? Cuz last I checked heterosexual couples were doing the same thing. She should just simply come out and say I'm against homosexuals having rights. Members of the group supporting same-sex marriage cited research by the Canadian Psychological Association that shows children benefit by having the relationship between their parents sanctioned by society, regardless of the sex of their parents.
The Religious Society of Friends, a Quaker Christian organization, hopes the government will not spend time revisiting same-sex marriage, but instead open dialogue on poverty, global warming, illiteracy and war.
Both sides have meetings planned with MPs to lobby their position.
The federal government is preparing to hold a vote on whether to reopen the same-sex marriage issue. It is also considering how to protect the rights of clergy and teachers who disagree with same-sex marriage, if Bill C-38 is left unchanged.
