Mehdi Chebil/Polaris/Newscom
French leaders, once poised to pass a same-sex marriage bill, are meeting opposition to their efforts.
An estimated 350,000 proponents of marriage rallied near the Eiffel Tower last Sunday, urging the government to retain marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The protest was one of France’s largest in decades, according to news outlets.
A multi-faith coalition including Christians, Jews, and Muslims are protesting the move to redefine marriage.
The effort is a troubling move for the country, which is facing its own deteriorating marriage culture. Redefining marriage would intensify the confusion plaguing France over the purpose and public nature of marriage.
The rallying cries in France, much like in America, are turning the discussion to the needs of children, not just the desires of adults.
Government recognizes marriage because it is an institution that is fundamental to society’s stability. Government—whether French or American—should not obscure the truth about marriage by accepting a revisionist view of marriage, which sees marriage as primarily about emotional bonds or legal privileges. In redefining marriage to include same-sex relationships, government would weaken marital norms, which would further delink childbearing from marriage and hurt spouses and children—especially the most vulnerable. It would deny a mother or father to a child as a matter of policy. Citizens would also lose more of their freedom of religion and conscience.
Sadly, reports indicate that the French government is ignoring the people’s voice, insisting that it will move ahead with their proposal to introduce legislation this month in hopes of passage in June.
As France debates marriage, America is having its own legal and cultural debate about marriage in the shadow of the Supreme Court’s consideration of the issue.
