The Australian Christian Lobby has decribed the results of Ireland’s referendum to allow marriage equality as a wake up call to Australians who value children’s rights and freedom of belief.
The organisation’s Managing Director Lyle Shelton has said that there is no need for Australia to follow Ireland’s lead.
“Australia should not pass a law which forces millions of Australians to pretend that a same-sex couple with children is the same thing as a mother and father with children.
“The redefining marriage movement in Ireland made a big effort to downplay the rights and interests of children, which ought to be at centre stage of all public policy. Mr Shelton said.
Mr Shelton argued that allowing two men to marry would lead to women becoming exploited.
“Because marriage confers the right to form a family, it will be very difficult to resist further law changes allowing the exploitation of women through commercial surrogacy.
“The only way the benefits of marriage equality can be provided to two men is to reform surrogacy laws so they have open access to donated women’s eggs and through the provision of ‘carrier’ wombs.
“While some same-sex couples are already acquiring children through various means of assisted reproductive technology, this does not make severing the primal bond between a child and their mother or father right.
“Marriage equality abolishes in law and culture the idea that, wherever possible, children have a right to both their mother and father.” Mr Shelton said.
Mr Shelton has told The Australian that the Australian Christian Lobby will be stepping up their campaign to ensure that marriage remains only between a man and a woman.
“We’re not giving up on this,” Mr Shelton said.”Well step up our campaigning and we’ll be doing all we can to persuade Australian parliamentarians to very cafe fully think of the consequences of redefining marriage and family, and what that means for kids.”
Marriage Equality Australia have noted that the positive result in Ireland will also have an encouraging affect on their long running campaign.
The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin has described the success of the ‘Yes’ campaign for marriage equality in Ireland as a wake up call for the Catholic church. Speaking to RTE Television the Archbishop described the outcome as a social revolution.
“The church has a huge task in front of it get its message across to young people … The church needs to do a reality check.” Archbishop Martin said.
OIP Staff
