BY Ian Dunn | March 22 2011 | comments icon 3 COMMENTS     print icon print

29-JOHN-DEIGHAN

MSPs under pressure over ‘gay marriage’ push

Parliamentary officer for the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland objects to publicly funded campaign pushing for marriage for same-sex couples

The parliamentary officer for the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has criticised the publicly funded Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) for launching a campaign designed to pressurise politicians into legalising ‘gay marriage.’

The EHRC launched their campaign ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections on May 5 with Kaliani Lyle, Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland commissioner, claiming ‘same-sex couples in Scotland continue to be denied access to marriage itself’ and ‘the new Scottish Government will have the opportunity to deliver fair and equal marriage choices to all.’

John Deighan (above), the Church’s parliamentary officer in Scotland, said the organisation was degrading the good name of human rights campaigners.

“The great endeavours of human rights advocates are unfortunately on the verge of being undone as human rights has become a battle ground where some campaigners see the benefit of capturing the prestigious term to wrap around their political aims,” he said. “It is very sad to see that the government funded group the Equality and Human Rights Commission has become a partisan player in human rights campaigning.”

Mr Deighan went on to say the commissions campaign was foolish and poorly thought out.

“Their decision to back the so-called ‘Equal Marriage’ campaign is an ill-judged one which places them at odds with fundamental human rights positions established, most notably, with the launch of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention of Human Rights,” he said. “Both these documents clearly recognise that it is men and women that marry and in fact the declaration recognises that the family, as the fundamental unit of society is entitled to protection from society and the state. The present campaign is fundamentally dishonest because it aims to redefine marriage and family.”

He added that Scottish society needed to re-evaluate just what human rights meant in the modern age.

“Our society is badly in need of an objective and measured assessment of human rights and equality issues especially as we see the crushing of religious freedom when views are held not to be in keeping with politically correct diktats,” he said. “There is little hope of that if the very institutions which our government have created to give advice on human rights are now pressure groups intent on imposing the views of the social elites who have worked to redefine human rights to suit their lifestyles.”

Comments - 3 Responses

  1. Philip M.McGhee says:

    Society and the political community also have rights,one of which is to grow,reproduce and maintain itself. Same-gender marriage is wrong,not simply because the Catholic Church says it’s wrong,but because it contributes to the destruction of society itself. In the interests of its won self-preservation, society should preserve a “prefential option” for heterosexuality.

  2. Peter Robertson says:

    “Society and the political community also have rights,one of which is to grow,reproduce and maintain itself.” Please explain how allowing gay couples to marry will have any negative effect on society or remove any rights; society will still grow and be maintained. Exactly how will having a married gay couple next door prevent or even discourage a straight couple (married or not) from reproducing?

    “not simply because the Catholic Church says it’s wrong” Religions are free to make whatever pronouncements they like within the law. That right does not make anything they say true…

  3. Philip M.McGhee says:

    One of the values of society is “Tertius usus legis”,the law as instructor.Law reflects the values of society,among which is marriage and reproduction. Marriage is not something created by the State. The state has largely in its own interests to protect an already existing situation and not to condone its destruction. the state also has an obligation to protect “minorities”.This could mean it could create new legal situations such civil unions for gays.My problem is the use of the term marriage for such unions and whether these unions should have all the privileges of heterosexual couples. The existence or non/existence of such unions will not prevent married couples from reproducing or eliminate homosexuality.But it does refect what values society holds.

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