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We uphold the dignity and sacredness of these two institutions which form the bedrock of a stable society and culture. A family where children are brought up with love by their mother and father in a permanent, committed relationship will help them to thrive and grow into successful adults. Healthy, happy, productive families make for a healthy, happy, productive society.
Laws are based on inalienable rights and rights are based on the natural moral law: dictated by reason, supported by science and handed down by God in Divine Revelation.
To legislate laws that are simply founded on public opinion, personal desires, and ideology is a betrayal of the law and the august office lawmakers are elected to.
The two basic backbones of law in Philippine society, i.e., the Constitution and the Family Code, both preserve the natural definition of the family.
The Philippine Constitution identifies the family as the basic unit and foundation of society.
The Family Code clarifies and supports the Constitution by specifically defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. To redefine marriage which is a natural reality, antedating society itself, is a betrayal and a compromise of that very foundation of society and culture.
With these convictions, we strongly oppose the bills presently being filed in the House of Representatives which seek to institutionalize same-sex civil marriage and allow the dissolution of marriage.
We oppose the bill on same-sex marriage because it attacks what marriage is.
1. Allowing same-sex marriage is tantamount to redefining marriage, from what it is and has been throughout most of history, the comprehensive union of a man and a woman in a permanent, committed relationship oriented toward the procreation and education of children, to being about the personal fulfillment of consenting adults.
2. Natural marriage is the permanent union of a man and a woman, ordered for the good of the spouses, the procreation and rearing of children under a father and a mother, for the preservation of society and the human species. Marriage thus is inalienably a child-centered and not an adult-centered association.
3. Marriage is based on the difference and complementarity of man and woman, whose union brings about children. This union fundamentally sets apart marriage from other relationships
4. Marriage is no mere association where two people are bound together by feelings or sexual attractions for one another. To promote same sex union is to deliberately deny and separate children from their natural fathers and mothers.
5. Marriage exists for the good of the children born from the union of man and woman, ensuring that they are united and are raised by their father and mother in a permanent, committed relationship. This benefits children best, which in turn benefits society, as well as ensures the continuation of the human race.
Redefining marriage and making it a genderless institution shifts the focus to the desires of the adults in the relationship, rather than the needs and rights of children to be raised by their mother and father.
We oppose the bill on the dissolution of marriage:
1. It contradicts and undermines the meaning and purpose of marriage.
2. It imperils the family, especially the children, who stand to be the most vulnerable victims of broken families.
3. It creates a culture where marriage becomes centered on the self—on one’s happiness, fulfillment, and preferences—rather than the good of the family, especially the children.
“As the family goes, so goes the nation and the whole world in which we live.” Our country will do well to heed these words of St. John Paul II. Marriage as an institution protects and secures the family. Strong families make for a bright future for our country. We urge the honorable men and women of Congress to uphold the Constitution they were elected to uphold and to preserve and promote natural marriage which is the real foundation of a stable society and culture.
Michael Ariola
President, Couples for Christ
