Proponents of same-sex marriage have introduced a ballot measure in Washington State, USA that would require heterosexual couples to have a child within three years or have their marriages annulled.
The Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance acknowledged on its Web site that the initiative was "absurd" but hoped the idea prompts "discussion about the many misguided assumptions" underlying a state Supreme Court ruling that upheld a ban on same-sex marriage, partially on the grounds that marriage is tied to having children.
The measure would require couples to prove they can have children to get a marriage license. Couples who do not have children within three years could have their marriages annulled.
PHOTO: EPA
All other marriages would be defined as "unrecognized," making those couples ineligible for marriage benefits.
The state Supreme Court opinion written by Justice Barbara Madsen concluded that "limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers the state's interests in procreation."
Gregory Gadow, who filed the initiative, said the argument is unfair when you're dealing with same-sex couples who are unable to have children together.
"What we are trying to do is display the discrimination that is at the heart of last year's ruling," he said.
Supporters must gather at least 224,800 signatures by July 6 to put it on the November ballot.
Cheryl Haskins, executive director of Allies for Marriage and Children, said opponents of same-sex marriage want only to preserve marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
"Some of those unions produce children and some of them don't," she said.
Massachusetts is the only US state to allow same-sex marriage, while Connecticut, New Jersey and Vermont have civil unions. (AP)
同志婚姻擁護者已提出在美國華盛頓州的公投法案,盼公投來要求異性戀夫妻在三年之內生小孩,否則婚姻就無效。
華盛頓婚姻保護聯盟在其網站上聲稱這項提案「荒謬至極」,但希望這個點子能引發「討論許多被誤導的假想」。華盛頓州高等法院已做出維持同志婚姻禁令的判決,部分原因是基於婚姻與養育小孩息息相關。
這項提案要求異性戀夫妻得證明自己可生小孩,才能得到結婚證書。若夫妻在三年之內沒有小孩,婚姻就失效。
未達到這一點的其他婚姻將被定義為「不被承認」,使那些夫妻無法享有婚姻的法定權益。
華盛頓州高等法院法官芭芭拉.梅德森在判決書中結論說︰「讓婚姻僅限於異性配偶,維護了本州的生殖繁衍利益。」
這項提案的提案者葛雷葛萊.高道表示,當你面對的是無法一起生育的同志婚姻時,法院的論點並不公平。
他說︰「我們想做的是,突顯去年這項判決骨子裡的歧視。」
支持者必須在七月六日前取得二十二萬四千八百人以上的簽名,才能讓提案進入十一月的公投。
「婚姻與孩童聯盟」的執行長雪若.赫金斯表示,同志婚姻的反對者只是希望能保有一男一女結合的婚姻型態。
她說︰「有些異性夫妻會生小孩,有些不生。」
麻州是美國唯一允許同志婚姻的州,康乃狄克州、紐澤西州與維蒙州則有公民結合。(註︰civil union 意指同志伴侶的法定結合)。
(美聯社/翻譯:賴美君)
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