“….And why not also allow incest, and give such couples legal standing? In this day of very effective contraceptive drugs and devices, and abortion on demand, shouldn’t the right to cohabit be left to the consenting individuals even if they happen to be brother and sister? The ‘ick’ factor aside, what possible reason does the state have to not legalise incest? If you think this is unlikely in modern Western societies consider that the German Ethics Council recently recommended that incest, including between siblings, be legalised.
Have no doubt that once gay marriage is legalised a Pandora’s Box will be opened. If the only argument we have for voting “Yes” on same-sex marriage is to grant validation to the love individuals in a homosexual relationships have for each other, we are standing on very shaky philosophical grounds. Love blesses all marital arrangements. If you love your sister, marry her! If you love your horse – marry it! But, marriage is, and always has been, across all societies and cultures, about much more than love.
We do not know what legislation will go before the federal parliament, which is reason in itself to vote ‘No’. Will it ensure freedom of religion? Will the right of parents to educate their children be respected? Will people be able to critique same-sex marriage without fear of being hauled before a tribunal? The Devil really is in the detail of the legislation, yet the postal survey will ask only if Australians of the same sex should be allowed to wed.
John Howard is right to argue that we should vote “No” unless and until we are presented with the legislation that will ultimately go before parliament. As he says, we wouldn’t elect a political party without knowing the details of its tax or energy policies.
Scratch the emotionalism and the only possible conclusion is that it would be imprudent to support the same-sex marriage proposition without knowing exactly how our rights to freedom of religion and freedom of speech will be protected in this brave new world…” A Very Queer Reading of Aquinas