.- The Federal Network of Families in Argentina recently launched a petition calling on legislators to nullify the country's law on same-sex “marriage.”
The group hopes to collect 500,000 signatures.
Juan Pablo Berarducci, the national coordinator of the signature drive, told CNA on March 16 that if the measure is passed, gay “marriage” will be outlawed in the entire country.
Same-sex “marriage” was legalized in Argentina in July 2010.
Laws legalizing gay “marriage” at the local and provincial levels would thus be in conflict with Argentinean family policy, which is rooted in article 14 of the country’s constitution, Berarducci explained.
Abortion
The measure would also grant legal protection to pregnant women and to the unborn by affirming that from the moment of conception, “the unborn child has the inalienable right to life as the first human right.” The measure would ensure that the unborn “are not left to the mercy of anyone.”
“The guarantee of this right in its maximum extension is a primordial obligation of the government at all levels and in all situations that could arise,” the measure states.
The petition process
Berarducci said the Network of Families is seeking to gather 500,000 signatures by July 2011, before the candidates for president and vice president outline their policy platforms. He also plans to gather the support before the list of candidates running for the Argentinean House and Senate is finalized.
This strategy would force candidates to take a position on the measure and would give voters a better idea of how they intend to govern, he explained.
Once lawmakers receive the petition, they will have 12 months maximum to address it. “This is the most important effect, as the signatures of voters obligates them to act and provides lawmakers with a mandate saying, we want this law,” Berarducci said.
He added that the petition is already gaining the support of a number of lawmakers at all levels of government.
