Plans Sped Up to Redefine Marriage in UK
Reports from the United Kingdom indicate that the British government is trying to pass legislation redefining marriage quicker than what they had first stated.
The British government, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, has come under fire for trying to redefine traditional marriage at all cost – ignoring the far reaching social implications that conservative parliament members and religious leaders have warned of.
A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which has had an integral role in the government's consultation on the issue of gay marriage, stated that the government's response would be ready before the end of the year.
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"We have been clear that we will publish the Government's response to the consultation on equal civil marriage before Christmas," a spokesperson read in a statement.
"We will set out then how we will proceed, and it is premature to discuss the timetable of a Bill before that. This is an emotive issue and will be thoroughly discussed in both Houses of Parliament," the spokesperson added.
Colin Hart, director for Coalition for Marriage which campaigns against the redefinition plans, has been on the U.K.'s most vocal opponent against gay marriage. A petition started by Coalition for Marriage that is supporting traditional marriage has been signed by more than 600,000 people.
"We always knew such claims could be made, because we knew that our campaign was hitting home very effectively. We knew we were making headway and that the Government could panic like this," he explained.
Cormac Murphy O'Connor, Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster and former President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, recently issued a warning against the passage of gay marriage legislation. He insisted there are unintended consequences of such actions that would reverberate throughout society.
"Any legislation that supports the family and marriage, I will support. Anything that diminishes it, I will oppose." O'Connor told The Telegraph. "Most people in this country don't really want gay marriage on the statute."
The Cardinal also argued that it is not the government's place to determine what marriage should be adding that it is an important pillar in humanity, and that is the "bedrock of our social life and culture."
