Dutch Parliament Favours Gay Marriage
In contrast to the Dutch government's view on gay marriage, MP's of the three
parties forming the coalition have said that their factions almost unuanymously
support the opening up of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. The government's
view expressed in the "Nota Leefvormen", drawn up last september by
undersecretary for Justice Ms. Schmitz on the matter was that marriage should
be reserved for heterosexual couples with a separate registration for gay and
unmarried straight couples much to the dismay of gay lobbying groups like
"Vrienden van de Gaykrant" and the COC. The proposed registration would give
gay couples much the same rights as straight married couples without the right
to adopt the reason given being that other countries would stop allowing
children to be put up for adoption in Holland. This argument was dismissed by
spokespersons for the three parties saying that only a few countries have said
they would stop sending children to Holland for adoption if gays were given
the right to adopt.
The factions in the Dutch lower house of the ruling SocialDemocrats (PvdA),
Liberals (VVD) and Social-Liberals (D'66) say that it is in the interest of the
child to have clear legal relations between the people that raise it and this
is not served by creating exeptions for different kinds of relationships, an
issue raised by gay lobbyists. In the government's view the lesbian lover of a
woman with a child would have no special rights regarding the child even though
she may be very much involved in its upbringing. "The argument that a Dutch gay
marriage would not be recognised in other countries is no reason that Holland
should withhold them rights as well, as this would mean copying discriminating
laws from other countries."
One of the MP's opposing gay marriage, social democrat Mr. Apostolou said he
found the idea of gays getting married ridiculous and that "Gays should accept
that their realtionships are more limited that heterosexual relationships."
Ms. Schmitz, who last september tried in vain to convince her collegues in
cabinet to open up marriage to gay couples said that she would gladly try again
but also said that there were emotional sides to the discussion for many of her
collegues.
MP's Van der Burg (PvdA), Dittrich (openly gay MP for D'66) and van der Stoel
(VVD) said their faction's plans may be radical but that the first Dutch
government in over 80 years without Christian parties meant a great opportunity
to push ahead with reforms. "We know that we are being closely watched by MP's
from other countries. Holland would be the first country in the world to open
up marriage to gays and a change in the law here may well lead to changes in
other countries' legislation".
The gay lobbying group "Vrienden van de Gaykrant", the first to start lobbying
for the opening up of marriage to gays, in a first reaction was pleased to see
their idea was finally adopted by the ruling parties. COC-spokesman
Joop van der Linden also showed himself pleased and said that the COC would
accept it when a few countries (among these Ethiopia and one or more
South-American states) objected to children from these countries being adopted
by gay couples, an issue that will have to be dealt with in a separate law on
adoption. Van der Linden concluded: "We are really talking about opening up the
institute of marriage, no strings attached, no separate registration, with full
rights and obligations that go with it."