Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov 3, 2009 / 05:04 pm (CNA).- The Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches from Argentina (CAECA) issued a statement last weekend arguing that “homosexual marriage,” which could be legalized by the Argentinean Congress, should not be approved because it would signify another step towards the destruction of true marriage and the family.

The alliance said its statement was a reaffirmation of “its institutional position, based on the Bible, the Word of God,” in response to the debate on a homosexual “marriage” law.

“Marriage is universally recognized as the union between a man and woman.  The Latin American culture and American laws are based on a clear and firm appreciation for the family.  The Declaration of Human Rights, Art 16.3; the Civil and Political Rights Pact, Art 23; and the American Convention on Human Rights, Art 17; recognize the right to marriage constituted by one man and one woman and to the formation of a family,” the statement indicated.

“We believe this issue is socially relevant as the survival of society itself is in question,”  CAECA said. Marriage is “essentially heterosexual” and therefore to “make homosexual unions equivalent to marriage would be to distort and ignore the real meaning the word itself encompasses.”

The alliance stressed that the state has a “particular interest in providing protection and benefits to heterosexual couples, since they continue the cycle of life and constitute the basis for the formation and perpetuation of new generations.”

“To grant the same benefits to homosexual couples would mean to make them equivalent to heterosexual couples in various aspects, when they are intrinsically different, and thus grave signs of discrimination would be incurred,” the alliance warned.

The statement then underscored that Argentinean law does not discriminate against homosexuals since the prohibition against marriage between two people of the same sex also applies to any two persons who do not meet marriage requirements established by law.  “Thus neither can two friends, two brothers or two neighbors of the same sex enjoy such legal benefits.  It is not a question of ‘homophobia,’ just as it is not a question of ‘fraternal-phobia’ either.”

The organization concluded its statement by calling on officials to resist pressure to open the door to “new kinds of families,” and urged that efforts be made to help the traditional family.

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