previous page | next page

1. PM Hon John Howard wants to prohibit same-sex 'marriages' and adoption of children
2. Legislation blocked in Senate by Labour, Greens & Democrats
3. Your Letter/Email required by 30 July

Detail:
The Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee is conducting an inquiry into the Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill, which has been passed by the House of Representatives but blocked by the combined forces of Labor, Greens and
Democrats in the Senate.

The bill was introduced after several homosexual and lesbian couples from Australia went to Canada recently to get "married" under new Canadian laws.
They have come back home to apply to our courts to have their "marriages" recognised as valid in Australia.  It is yet another attempt to change the meaning of marriage through non-elected activist judges rather than parliament.

PM John Howard has responded by trying to make the law so clear that even activist judges cannot twist it.  The ALP gave nominal support to this idea in the House of Reps where Labor is in a minority, but ALP Senate action - referring this simple bill to a committee for extended deliberation - suggests a different agenda.

The Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill defines marriage as "the union between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life".  It prohibits Australian recognition of same-sex "marriages" contracted overseas, and the adoption of overseas children by same-sex couples.

It is under great attack from homosexual groups who have sent in many submissions opposing the bill and calling for marriage to be defined as "the union between two adults".

The House of Representatives in Canberra passed the Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill on 17 June 2004, but the Senate refused to pass it - instead referring the bill to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee, which will report on 7 October.

The deadline for public responses to the bill is 30 July 2004.

The homosexual and lesbian community is flooding the committee with emails calling for marriage to be defined as a "union between two adults", and supporting adoption by same-sex couples. Your submission is urgently needed!
Send a brief letter or email to:

The Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee:
Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill
Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 Fax (02) 6277 3560

Emails are preferred: legcon.sen@aph.gov.au

Include your name, postal address and phone number on your letter, fax or email.
Examples of points worth making (use your own words if possibled):

• a.. Marriage has always been defined as a lifelong union between a man and a woman because it is the basis of the natural family.
  
• b.. Only a man and a woman can conceive a child naturally.
  
• c.. Same-sex couples may be in a "relationship" - but it is not a "marriage".
  
• d.. Research shows that children do best in almost every area when raised by both natural parents who are married to each other.
  
• e.. A woman cannot model a father to a child, nor can a man model a mother.
  
• f.. Adopted babies deserve the best environment possible - an adoptive father and mother who can model male and female and who are committed to each other and the child in marriage.
  
• g.. Homosexual men are vastly over-represented in child sex abuse statistics. Any child adopted by a same-sex couple is likely to come in contact with the homosexual community where the risk of child sexual abuse is much greater than in the rest of the community.
  
• h..  that marriage was instituted by the Lord God Almighty from the time of Creation as a physical union between one man and one woman, and was reaffirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and
  
• i.. that marriage cannot and must not be construed as being available to sanctify immoral sexual acts such as sodomy, and
  
• j.. that the term 'spouse' refers either to a man's wife, or to a woman's husband, and must not be used to describe same-sex, homosexual partners.
  

#

previous page | next page