Human rights not the issue

Published: 11 December 2011
By: Paul Dobbyn

Speaking up: Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett

BRISBANE archdiocese's apostolic administrator Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett and Catholic ethicist Dr Ray Campbell have cautioned against "deceptive arguments" which portray same-sex marriage as a human rights issue.

"A good deal can be done to reassure the basic instinct of the majority of Australians that marriage is not a matter of equality for all," Bishop Jarrett said.

"Marriage has no equal: it is a unique bond between a man and a woman."

Dr Campbell, who is John Paul II Family and Life Centre director, also raised the issue of "whether Catholic priests should remain state marriage celebrants at all, if the State changes its understanding of marriage".

"Would it be a good witness to our belief in marriage to withdraw our services from acting as the state witness at the time of a sacramental marriage?" he asked.

He also warned of the possibility of the Church being affected by anti-discrimination laws should the proposed legislation come into being.

Bishop Jarrett and Dr Campbell's comments followed intensely-debated legislation passed in Queensland Parliament on November 30 to allow same-sex couples to legally register their unions.

At the Australian Labor Party's national conference last weekend, the party's federal platform also was amended to support same-sex marriage laws.

Legislation seeking this amendment to the Marriage Act could come as soon as next February. This follows NSW Federal MP Stephen Jones' stated intention to move a private member's bill on the amendment when parliament resumes.

"This issue is fair and square a discrimination issue,"

Mr Jones was reported as saying in the national media.

"I don't think homosexuality is a sickness or any morality issue."

Bishop Jarrett said opposition to same-sex marriage did not depend on a religious view.

"This is because it (the opposition) arises out of the nature of the human person as existing so that from the union of an opposite-sex couple a new human life can be procreated," he said.

"Whatever civil law may grant to same-sex relationships in the way of the legal and financial benefits and entitlements of married persons, the natural status of a man and woman as a married couple remains unique."

Dr Campbell said the debate "needed to be moved from the rhetoric of equality and human rights which are based upon unsupported presuppositions".

"The debate needs to be about the nature of marriage and the role of the State," he said.  

"Unfortunately those are the very issues that those in favour of gay marriage do not want to discuss and do not want to have debated in the public forum."

Prime Minister Julia Gillard succeeded in gaining approval of the ALP national conference to allow a conscience vote for ALP MPs rather than a vote on party lines on the issue.

The Australian Christian Lobby has released a recorded interview videotaped before the last Federal election in which Ms Gillard said: "The Marriage Act will stay unchanged, so marriage will be defined as it is in our current Marriage Act as between a man and a woman ... that's the party policy ... And that's what you should expect if we're re-elected."

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Op-position parties at both Queensland and Fed-eral level to fight the changes.
At the State level, LNP Leader Campbell Newman, who supports same-sex civil unions, has stated the LNP would look at scrapping the law if it was elected next year, but not if couples had been joined in a civil union by then.

However, Premier Anna Bligh said Mr Newman could act whether or not anybody had had a ceremony.

Ms Bligh said the law could be in force by the end of March.

Opponents of same-sex marriage are demanding that the Federal Opposition votes on party lines to ensure the probable defeat of proposed changes to the Marriage Act.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been reported as insisting the Coalition strongly opposes any change to the Marriage Act, but as yet he has not vetoed a conscience vote.

Dr Campbell said "one thing that the campaign for same-sex civil partnerships in Queensland and the debate at the Labor Party national conference on same-sex marriage have taught us is that there is a very poor understanding of marriage, of what marriage is, and why the State is involved in marriage, in the community".

"This misunderstanding also includes our civic leaders and the media," he said.

A redefinition of marriage may force the Church to compromise its teachings.

"There are ways in which 'anti-discrimination' laws might be used against the Church to try and force the Church to compromise its teaching on same-sex marriage and same-sex sexual relationships," Dr Campbell said.

"Examples include employment regulations and in the school curriculum."

Bishop Jarrett said "the latest political moves will play themselves out in their own territory as the pressure of their ideologies determine".

"It will ultimately be at the ballot box when Australian voters will deliver their verdict," he said.

Dr Campbell said "those who support marriage and the family need to continue to petition their Federal Members of Parliament and senators to retain the current understanding of marriage as contained in the Marriage Act".