21 May 2013
I voted against the Gay Marriage Bill. I abhor homophobia, and am very supportive of providing the conditions for same sex couples to openly celebrate their love and commitment to each other in Civil Partnerships. However, I believe we need to support ‘marriage’ between husband and wife as the basic building block of family and society.
I believe that families are the bedrock of our society, through which our children must acquire the moral values essential to citizenship. All the evidence shows that the stable family unit, based on a married husband and wife, provides the best outcomes for children; and I believe this should provide the foundation of our family policy.
In recent decades I believe we have witnessed the very damaging consequences of a systemic neglect of state support for upholding these values through policies on families, schools and the welfare state, and in particular through the breakdown of marriage. It is of course true that many single parents manage to bring up children very successfully, and when marriages break down we should be open to supporting the adoption of children by all who can demonstrate the necessary commitment regardless of their orientation. There is however overwhelming evidence that the breakdown of family life is a key driver of the cycles of social deprivation and societal dis-order afflicting so much of modern Britain, and this should be the priority of public policy.
The values of commitment and mutual responsibility embodied in marriage are important in promoting a strong society, and I support the Government in doing all it can to promote these values, including by enabling gay and lesbian couples who want to embrace these values to do so through Civil Partnerships. However, I do think it is very important that any steps we take to promote the benefits of these values and of ‘marriage’ as legal union for the gay community does not undermine the sanctity of marriage between man and wife as the preferred basis for procreation, and certainly does not compel the Church and other religions to accept gay marriages in defiance of their faith. Whilst I support Civil Partnerships, I believe that we should preserve the special and different status of marriage between man and wife as the basis of family life.
Legislation on social, sexual and moral issues is always fraught with difficulty, not least the issue of unintended consequences. I am particularly concerned at the risk of enshrining an inadvertent ‘right’ to a child, for any and all types of union, which, combined with the extraordinary breakthroughs in genetics, reproductive medicine and surrogate parenthood, could create even more difficulties than those we are seeking to solve. I respect the views of the Bills’ supporters but I believe we need a much deeper debate, focussed more on the needs of our children and society as a whole than on any one individual group, before further liberalising social legislation in this field.
Yours sincerely,
George Freeman MP
I believe that families are the bedrock of our society, through which our children must acquire the moral values essential to citizenship. All the evidence shows that the stable family unit, based on a married husband and wife, provides the best outcomes for children; and I believe this should provide the foundation of our family policy.
In recent decades I believe we have witnessed the very damaging consequences of a systemic neglect of state support for upholding these values through policies on families, schools and the welfare state, and in particular through the breakdown of marriage. It is of course true that many single parents manage to bring up children very successfully, and when marriages break down we should be open to supporting the adoption of children by all who can demonstrate the necessary commitment regardless of their orientation. There is however overwhelming evidence that the breakdown of family life is a key driver of the cycles of social deprivation and societal dis-order afflicting so much of modern Britain, and this should be the priority of public policy.
The values of commitment and mutual responsibility embodied in marriage are important in promoting a strong society, and I support the Government in doing all it can to promote these values, including by enabling gay and lesbian couples who want to embrace these values to do so through Civil Partnerships. However, I do think it is very important that any steps we take to promote the benefits of these values and of ‘marriage’ as legal union for the gay community does not undermine the sanctity of marriage between man and wife as the preferred basis for procreation, and certainly does not compel the Church and other religions to accept gay marriages in defiance of their faith. Whilst I support Civil Partnerships, I believe that we should preserve the special and different status of marriage between man and wife as the basis of family life.
Legislation on social, sexual and moral issues is always fraught with difficulty, not least the issue of unintended consequences. I am particularly concerned at the risk of enshrining an inadvertent ‘right’ to a child, for any and all types of union, which, combined with the extraordinary breakthroughs in genetics, reproductive medicine and surrogate parenthood, could create even more difficulties than those we are seeking to solve. I respect the views of the Bills’ supporters but I believe we need a much deeper debate, focussed more on the needs of our children and society as a whole than on any one individual group, before further liberalising social legislation in this field.
Yours sincerely,
George Freeman MP
