By Ann Schneible
LONDON, MARCH 19, 2012 (Zenit.org).- As the British government progresses toward legalized same-sex marriage, many fear the potentially catastrophic consequences to society if marriage is redefined to include same-sex couples.
England’s government recently began a formal review of a bill, published by the gay-rights advocacy group known as Stonewall, which proposes to change the legal definition of marriage by removing any reference to gender. Because marriage is the basis for society, there is concern that the government is «playing politics with marriage,» and putting society at risk for serious and unforeseen consequences.
«When a man and woman are committed to one another for life,» Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, told ZENIT, «when they have children within that construct, everything else flows from it. The extended family stays strong, the whole community stays strong, towns stay strong, society stays strong. When that first unit of a stable society breaks, we have massive repercussions. That’s why it’s critically important for the State to value marriage, accept and place laws that uphold it in a high estate, treasure it, and value it for the good of everyone. That’s what government is supposed to do. But they’re playing politics with marriage. They’re entering into a massive new social engineering experiment which could have devastating consequences for the well-being of society.»
According to Williams, the 2005 legalization of civil unions in the UK was an «incremental» step to advance society toward the eventual redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples. Regardless of the fact that civil unions afford same-sex partners virtually the same legal protection as married couples, «First came civil unions, next came marriage and the family. We’ve got to remember that this is not just about redefining marriage; this is about redefining family. Same-sex marriage, given that marriage is for the procreation of children, deliberately denies children a mother and a father. This is a massive social experiment, and I don’t think the government has really thought it through.»
«We would very much like people from everywhere across the globe to write to David Cameron in this country, and to apply pressure at governmental levels. Agencies, church agencies, travel agencies, individuals, can write to David Cameron and say: ‘Don’t play politics with marriage. It’s dangerous, and the eyes of the world are watching you. It’s a step too far.’”
