Religious organizations rallied outside the Judicial Yuan on Thursday, protesting against same-sex marriage and delivering a petition calling on the Council of Grand Justices to not be influenced by political considerations.
The rally was organized by the Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of the Family and drew representatives from Buddhist, Taoist, Christian and Lamaist groups.
The grand justices are to convene a hearing on March 24 to hear arguments in a suit brought by gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威), who argues that the prohibition against same-sex marriage violates the rights guaranteed in the Constitution by Article 7, which declares that all citizens, irrespective of sex, religion, ethnic origin, class or party affiliation, to be equal before the law, and Article 22, which states that all other freedoms and rights of the public that are not detrimental to social order or public welfare are guaranteed under the Constitution.
Photo: Yang Kuo-wen, Taipei Times
“We ask that the grand justices carry out an independent inquiry, while not forgetting their conscience and morality,” alliance secretary-general Chang Shou-yi (張守一) said.
“They should conduct the hearing with objectivity and impartiality, looking into all aspects of the issue,” Chang said.
He said that “political leaders have already decided the outcome they want” and will use their influence to determine the outcome.
“We urge people to closely scrutinize this case,” Chang said. “The constitutional interpretation must not deviate from issues of morality, common sense and the laws of nature.”
“Government leaders must not use the constitutional interpretation as a tool to suppress the will of the people and they shall bear political responsibility for judgements that lead to societal conflict,” he said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has been pushing for approval of same-sex marriage and promoting rights for homosexuals, “because she made political promises to them,” Chang said, urging the grand justices not to rush to a decision.
Chang urged the council not to exceed its legal authority, as the constitutional challenge is only over “whether same-sex marriage violates the Constitution.”
The council should conduct more hearings to carefully deliberate the case, listen to counterarguments and viewpoints from all sides, he said.
The protesters presented a petition to Lin Chi-hui (林吉輝), deputy chief of the Judicial Yuan’s Grand Justices Clerks’ Section.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS