Senator Eric Abetz has discussed the scenario of people wanting to marry bridges and other inanimate objects in the future.

Writing in Family World News, a monthly newsletter put together by NSW MP, the Reverend Fred Nile, Abetz wrote that if marriage equality was allowed the meaning of marriage could be changed to make it open to people marry anyone or anything.

“If this is the standard then who is to judge the quality/type/validity of any love — within families, with more than just one other, or indeed why not the Eiffel Tower?” Abetz said.

Speaking to Buzzfeed News Senator Abetz said his main concern was that marriage equality would lead to polyamory, but also said looking at extreme concerns was a legitimate part of the debate.

Asked if he had concerns about someone marrying the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Senator Abetz said the marriage equality campaign has the slogan of “love is love”, and once you removed the stipulation of it being a combination of a man and a woman, the floodgates would be opened.

Senator Abetz denied that he was equating the love of two people with someone who loved an inanimate object like the Eiffel Tower, but also said there were people who had declared their love for the Parisian landmark.

“The sad thing is, I’m not doing it. There are people that are actually saying they want to marry the Eiffel Tower. There are people that say we want a threesome marriage, and ‘who are you to judge that marriage should only be between two people?'” Senator Abetz said.

The senator also discussed his belief that if the marriage act is changed to allow same-sex couples to wed there should be wide ranging provisions to allow people to refuse service to gay people.

Senator Abetz’s full interview with Buzzfeed will feature on their Is It On? podcast which will be released on Friday. 

OIP Staff