Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Aussie pro-marriage groups receive a boost
Two events foreshadow a significant change in the fortunes of marriage and family in Australia. The first is the overwhelming number of submissions received by the Senate Committee looking into the issue of same-sex marriage (SSM) and adoption rights. While the numbers are still unclear, with counting continuing, it seems that there may have been close to 13,000 submissions, with the overwhelming majority opposing SSM and adoption rights. (Some estimates have it that they were in fact over 99% of the total!) Evidently the record is 14,000 submissions for the euthanasia debate of a few years back.
(Note: Submissions on the NZ Civil Unions Bills closed last Friday. While numbers haven't yet been released, I understand that two rooms at Parliament Buildings are packed with boxes of submissions.)
Hot on the heels of this was another event dealing with marriage and family, the National Marriage Forum at the end of July. This pro-marriage forum, held in the Great Hall of Parliament House, was attended by well over 1000 people. Everyone, including the media, politicians and the organisers themselves, were staggered by the massive turnout. It was literally standing room only, with every available seat filled, and many spilling over into the surrounding galleries. Indeed, many people unfortunately had to be turned away.
The forum was held to reaffirm the fundamental importance of heterosexual marriage, to support John Howard's attempt to amend the Marriage Act, and to oppose any attempt to radically redefine the nature of marriage.
The forum was organised by the National Marriage Coalition (NMC), a recently formed organisation designed to unite various groups and organisations who seek to promote and preserve the institutions of marriage and family. The three founding groups of the NMC are the Australian Christian Lobby, the Australian Family Association and the Fatherhood Foundation.
Two events foreshadow a significant change in the fortunes of marriage and family in Australia. The first is the overwhelming number of submissions received by the Senate Committee looking into the issue of same-sex marriage (SSM) and adoption rights. While the numbers are still unclear, with counting continuing, it seems that there may have been close to 13,000 submissions, with the overwhelming majority opposing SSM and adoption rights. (Some estimates have it that they were in fact over 99% of the total!) Evidently the record is 14,000 submissions for the euthanasia debate of a few years back.
(Note: Submissions on the NZ Civil Unions Bills closed last Friday. While numbers haven't yet been released, I understand that two rooms at Parliament Buildings are packed with boxes of submissions.)
Hot on the heels of this was another event dealing with marriage and family, the National Marriage Forum at the end of July. This pro-marriage forum, held in the Great Hall of Parliament House, was attended by well over 1000 people. Everyone, including the media, politicians and the organisers themselves, were staggered by the massive turnout. It was literally standing room only, with every available seat filled, and many spilling over into the surrounding galleries. Indeed, many people unfortunately had to be turned away.
The forum was held to reaffirm the fundamental importance of heterosexual marriage, to support John Howard's attempt to amend the Marriage Act, and to oppose any attempt to radically redefine the nature of marriage.
The forum was organised by the National Marriage Coalition (NMC), a recently formed organisation designed to unite various groups and organisations who seek to promote and preserve the institutions of marriage and family. The three founding groups of the NMC are the Australian Christian Lobby, the Australian Family Association and the Fatherhood Foundation.
