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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Divisive same-sex marriage bill stalls in Legislative Yuan
A proposed amendment to the Civil Code aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage was stalled at the legislature yesterday, after it met with staunch opposition from the Ministry of Justice and Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） legislators.
Since the legislature’s Judiciary Committee failed to hold a vote on the amendment, it will remain in limbo until the next legislative session, which is due to begin in February.
While the bill was debated, opposing rallies clashed over the issue outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender （LGBT） advocacy groups expressed their disappointment over the results, saying that many of the opposing comments from the ministry and KMT legislators seemed to “take us back in time to an unenlightened era, or a bygone century.”
The bill, dubbed the Marriage Equality Amendment, proposes to replace terms in the Civil Code denoting heterosexual couples with neutralized ones, for example replacing “husband and wife” with “couple,” which would therefore effectively legalize same-sex marriage.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang （陳明堂） listed four main reasons for the ministry’s opposition to the amendment, saying that its passage would impact current marriage institutions, including population policies and inheritance principles, and introduce changes to too many laws; that it lacks social consensus and support; that it has met “strong opposition” at public hearings; and that the rights of gays and lesbians can be protected through legal reforms on issues such as medical visitation rights or taxation, without making “hasty” changes to marriage institutions.
Chen said legalizing same-sex marriage is unsuitable for Taiwan at the moment, since it goes against the nation’s “views on interpersonal ethics and morality.”
He denied allegations that the government discriminates against homosexuals, saying that the ministry would soon put forward a proposal to protect the rights of gays and lesbians “through successive phases,” adding that he was more open to supporting individual legislation than altering the Civil Code.
Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） Legislator Cheng Li-chiun （鄭麗君） compared Chen’s suggestions for separate legislation to racial segregation, saying that this would imply discrimination, not guard against it.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
