Top Stories of 2003: Canada Set to Legalize Homosexual Marriage
by Fred Jackson and Jody Brown
December 24, 2003
(AgapePress) - The government of Canada has decided to legalize homosexual "marriages," and the ramifications to that decision could be felt in the United States in a matter of months.
Last week, a court in the province of Ontario ruled that the current federal definition of marriage -- limiting it to a man and a woman -- discriminated against homosexuals and was unconstitutional. [See Earlier Article] The federal government has decided not to appeal that decision to the nation's Supreme Court, and instead to pass legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.
The announcement came late Tuesday from Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who called it part of the "evolution of society." He said the legislation, once drafted, will be referred to the Supreme Court, then will be put to a free vote in the House of Commons. The process is expected to take only a matter of months.
In passing the legislation, Canada would become only the third nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriages, joining Belgium and the Netherlands.
There appears to be little organized opposition to the legislation, although The New York Times says leaders of the nation's two conservative parties and even some in the Liberal part have "expressed reservations."
The Times also notes that public opinion polls in Canada show a solid majority of citizens favor the change. The newspaper then follows with an interesting observation, stating: "Polling experts and social scientists note that conservative religious views are much less influential [in Canada] than in the United States, with regular church attendance far lower and with fundamental Protestant groups attracting far less support."
What Does It Mean in America?
The decision could have a major impact in the U.S. Canadian marriage law has no residency requirements, which means homosexuals from any country can go there and get married. And because the United States recognizes Canadian marriage laws, the prospect now is that American homosexuals will soon be heading to Canada to get married -- and will return to challenge federal and state governments to accept those legal "marriages."
The head of the American Family Association says the Canadian government's decision to legalize homosexual marriage ought to serve as a wake-up call for Americans. AFA chairman Don Wildmon says the average American has no idea what impact the Canadian decision will have in the U.S.
"The audacity of gay activists in that country -- and the swiftness with which those changes are occurring -- is a real cause for alarm here in the U.S.," he says, noting he expects an influx of American homosexual couples into Canadian provinces to get married. He anticipates that many of those couples will use their new status to challenge state laws that do not recognize same-sex unions.
Wildmon's concern appears valid. Evan Wolfson with the New York-based group Freedom to Marry, which supports homosexual marriage, described the original ruling in an Ontario as "hugely significant because it could spur similar civil rights advances in the United States."
And should there be any doubt that homosexual activists intend to take advantage of this latest development, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the largest pro-homosexual lobby in the United States -- offers advice to homosexual couples who might be considering bringing a Canadian marriage license back across the border.
HRC says it is imperative that any challenges to these laws and to other obstacles certain to arise be made "strategically," working with pro-homosexual legal groups that are already involved in efforts to secure civil marriage rights for homosexuals in the U.S. Those groups are cautioning same-sex couples not to "race across the border" to set up lawsuits in response to discrimination against marriages granted in Canada. "The wrong cases could set us back for years," they say.
Wildmon says Canada's move -- and the obvious orchestration by U.S.-based homosexual advocacy groups -- make it all the more important that Christians get behind the proposed constitutional amendment which would ensure the U.S. recognizes only heterosexual marriages.
