Yay!! Argentina legalised same-sex marriages today, becoming the first country in Latin America to grant all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage gives to heterosexual couples, nationwide. The vote ended after 4 a.m. in Argentina's senate.
Wow this is great, we have same-sex civil unions legalised in Uruguay and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Then there is the Constitutional Court in Columbia granting same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowing them to add their partners to health insurance plans. Finally Mexico City seeking to 'out-do' (?) all others legalises gay marriage and launches tourism campaigns to encourage foreigners to come and wed.
Of course with the victory comes the cries of Christians and various Christian groups. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio said, "children need to have the right to be raised and educated by a father and a mother." "Marriage between a man and a woman has existed for centuries, and is essential for the perpetuation of the species," insisted Sen. Juan Perez Alsina.
Let me look at these statements.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio says children ought to have the right to be raised and educated by mother and father. Question, does giving gay couples the right to marry mean that all children will be denied being raised by a mother and a father? No. This is so because not all persons will be gay and, not all persons will chose to be married to someone of the same-sex. Therefore for children born to heterosexual couples they will be raised and educated by mother and father. One more question though; I wonder what the Cardinal would have to say about those children born to single mothers or those raised and educated by single parents?
"Marriage between a man and a woman has existed for centuries, and is essential for the perpetuation of the species," insisted Sen. Juan Perez Alsina. Seriously Senator are you going to decry gay marriage based on a tradition that has been around for centuries? If we were to follow tradition:
1) Women would have remained as property, and inferior to men
2)Slavery would have remained
3) Segregation and racism would have remained and applied to the free slaves and mulattoes
Tradition, Sen. Juan Perez Alsina, is not always good there are times and stages within development when tradition is no longer practicable and so we have to develop new traditions and practices.
"Marriage... is essential for the perpetuation of the species", Senator! Legalising gay marriage does not mean that tomorrow morning all persons will want to get married to someone of the same-sex, it does not mean that heterosexual couples will be prevented from getting married. So if marriage is essential to ensure the longevity of the human race then single men and women should be forced to marry and have children, and couples who cannot reproduce should be forced to divorce.
Though we see these arguments being made here they are the same arguments that opponents of gay marriage use world-wide. Are these fears irrational? Probably at first glance they seem that way but when you think about it they aren't irrational. If these persons would just listen, then its possible that some of these fears could be spoken about and each could help the other to understand one-another.
I'm happy for this victory in Latin America and looking for the day when the fever will spread through Latin America and even further into the Caribbean, it may be a long way off but it's not impossible, for with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Tek Care
Alexis
