Euro-Amendment will play havoc with social legislation and religious liberties:When gay rights are wrong

The Christian Institute today expressed its strong reservations about the proposed gay rights amendment to the Treaty of the European Community. The New Article 6a commits Member States to combat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The move will be considered at the Amsterdam IGC in one month’s time.

Speaking today Simon Calvert, Legal Affairs Officer at The Christian Institute, said:

“Combating discrimination on the grounds of age, gender or disability is clearly laudable. But sexual orientation is a completely different matter.

The European Court of Justice has already unilaterally given special employment rights for transsexuals by stretching the Equal Treatment Directive. Many legal experts believe it is only a matter of time before they do the same for homosexuals.

Church schools would then be required to retain staff who are discovered to be practising homosexuals or be willing to recruit practising homosexual staff.

A sexual orientation discrimination clause makes this prospect more likely. It opens the door wide open for Europe to directly interfere in areas of religious freedom which hitherto have been closely protected. Little thought has been given to any safeguards.

Whole fields of social legislation could be affected by the gay rights clause. Homosexual lobby groups are already pressing for marriage rights and the right to adopt children.

Parents do not want to see “homosexual partnerships” promoted in schools as being equivalent to marriage. Giving protected status to homosexuals will mean denigrating the rights of religious groups who believe that homosexuality is morally wrong.”

Note for Editors

The Christian Institute is a Christian policy think tank which researches into social and ethical issues from a Christian perspective. It unashamedly holds to the historic creeds of the Christian Church.