World Congress of Families International Secretary Allan C. Carlson praised the Romanian Senate for recently passing an amendment to the nation’s Family Code defining marriage as the “union freely consented to between a man and a woman.”“Given the pressure coming from the European Union and other anti-family forces on the continent, this is a courageous move on the part of Romania’s government,” Carlson commented.
The amendment passed the Senate by a vote of 38 to 10, with 19 abstentions. Many of those voting against the measure or abstaining said they supported the amendment but feared reprisals by the EU, which frequently threatens sanctions against member states that reject same-sex marriage.
Much of the credit for this victory goes to the Alliance of Romania’s Families, which has worked tirelessly for a change in the law since August, 2005 and which collected over 650,000 signatures on a petition for a defense of marriage amendment to the Romanian Constitution...
The amendment to the Family Code still has to pass the Chamber of Deputies, which is expected to take it up before its June recess. The president, who expressed support for the Alliance’s petition drive, is expected to sign the measure.
Carlson predicted “an inevitable backlash from the EU bureaucracy and homosexual-rights organizations intent on punishing defenders of the natural family.” The World Congress of Families International Secretary called on pro-family organizations and activists around the world to rally to Romania’s defense.
Carlson observed: “Falling birthrates globally are being driven by the decline of the natural family. Equating same-sex couples with families can only undermine the natural family – which does society’s vital work of procreation and childrearing.”
