Welsh Secretary David Jones clarifies stance on same-sex marriage
Jones, who voted against the recent Marriage bill which allows same-sex couples to tie the knot, recently spoke on a regional ITV political programme about the reason he chose not to support marriage equality.
“I was one of two cabinet ministers who did vote against it and it was for various reasons. Certainly in constituency terms, I felt that overwhelmingly the constituents of Clwyd West were opposed to the change. But also I regard marriage as an institution that has developed over many centuries, essentially for the provision of a warm and safe environment for the upbringing of children, which is clearly something that two same-sex partners can’t do. Which is not to say that I’m in any sense opposed to stable and committed same-sex partnerships.” he said on ITV Wales’ Face to Face.
The comments by the Tory were deemed ‘insulting’ and ‘offensive’ by Labour’s shadow equalities minister Kate Green while LGBT campaign body Stonewall said they were ‘saddened’ by the comments.
Jones, who has been the Member of Parliament for Clwyd West since May 2005, released a statement today to clarify his earlier television broadcast comments.
“I was asked on the Face to Face programme why I voted against the same-sex marriage proposals. I replied that I had done so on the basis that I took the view that marriage is an institution that has developed over the centuries so as to provide a safe and warm environment for the upbringing of children. I made the point of stressing that I was fully supportive of committed same-sex relationships. I also strongly approve of civil partnerships. I did not say in the interview that same-sex partners should not adopt children and that is not my view. I simply sought to point out that, since same-sex partners could not biologically procreate children, the institution of marriage was one that, in my opinion, should be reserved to opposite sex partners.”
On February 5th MPs voted 400 to 175, a majority of 225 in favour, for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.
What era is he from? Biologically most gay people can become parents. A lesbian couple can have a baby in a variety of ways, if both were to be closely involved one could be the egg donor and one the birth mother. They could use donor sperm, something heterosexual couples do without question. Heterosexuals do not get banned from marriage if they do not want children, are too disabled, too old, impotent, ‘frigid’, infertile, biologically incompatible, sterile, or have repeated loss of a baby by miscarriage or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Also heterosexuals can marry or remarry having had children with other people (divorced or died), and might decide not to have any more children. Two gay men can, like other couples, use adoption or fostering or surrogacy, including the use of a surrogate mother and their own sperm. Plenty of singles, whether gay or straight, adopt or foster a child, or use IVF or other techniques. If a woman gets pregnant and then her husband dies in Afghanistan, we do not abort or kidnap her baby, or force her to remarry, for becoming a single mother. Also people leaving an abusive relationship can take the children and be a single parent. If you find out your partner is unfaithful you might need to take the children and leave. Marriage DOES confer more legal rights than civil partnership, so full equality is long overdue. If you do not like gay marriage, do not marry someone of the same sex as yourself. Why should gay people be banned from marrying just because some heterosexuals don’t like it? In the early Christian Church gay marriages were originally accepted.
In the past, people (straight) were told they could not marry if they were different colours, religions, or one or both partners were disabled. We still try to stop people with a learning disability getting married and having children. Couples were grilled about their ability to consummate! We used to ban certain workers like servants, apprentices and others from getting married; servants and slaves required their master’s permission to marry (and at one time were forcibly married to people they didn’t want to marry, because of who the master wanted to ‘breed’ them with.). Later people (like female teachers) were sacked for getting married, on the basis that ‘your husband will support you’ (it’s her CAREER!).
No UK law requires procreation or the ability to procreate, as a condition for determining whether to allow a marriage. Even sex, or certain sex acts, are not requirements. You do not in law have to like, love or live with your spouse. You only need to be unmarried, unrelated, over 16, and agreeing to the marriage.
Housing was refused to couples where a white person had married a black or Asian person.
If we are in 2013 we should already have had gay marriages since 1997. There should be MORE gay marriage!