French court says “non” to same-sex ‘marriage’
Recently the Constitutional Council of France ruled that “…there is nothing unequal about upholding the definition of marriage as between man and woman.”
You would be hard pressed to find a place more accommodating of libertine sexual mores than ‘gay Paris’, even so, the wisdom of the citizens of France is such that they understand very well the crucial role that marriage plays in the general welfare of society.
Said wisdom was prominently exhibited with the publication of their Parliamentary Report on the Family and the Rights of Children in 2006. This is an English translation of a report that was the result of an exhaustive study by a special Parliamentary Commission.
If those 142 pages aren’t enough for you, and you’re fluent in French, then feel free to review the 453 pages of the original report. (What an excellent post-graduate thesis topic for some ambitious college student majoring in French, Sociology, Family Law, etc…)
But maybe most of us would prefer to start with the more than 30 pages of proposals generated by the Commission’s report.
If it would pique your interest, you can skim the through chapter headings below:
PARLIAMENTARY REPORT ON THE FAMILY AND THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN [PROPOSALS]
SUMMARY
I. PLACING THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD AT THE HEART OF FAMILY LAW
A. NON-RECOGNITION OF A RIGHT TO A CHILD
1. Preserve the Principles that Apply to Marriage at Present
2. Preserve the Rules that Apply to Adoption at Present
3. Consistency with the French Bioethical Model
a) There must continue to be a medical justification for assisted procreation, under the rubric of “a father, a mother, a child”
b) The prohibition on surrogate motherhood must be preserved
c) The principle of donation that applies to gametes and assisted procreation must be reaffirmed
B. PROTECTING CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
1. Expediting the Process of Bringing French Law into Compliance with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child
2. Better Monitoring of Violations of Children’s Rights
3. Giving all Children the Right to be Heard by the Courts
C. CONSOLIDATING COUPLES
1. Guaranteeing Informed Choice in Organizing Lives as Couples
2. Making a Civil Solidarity Pact a Coherent Couple Contract
3. Reaffirming the Freedom to Marry and Combatting Forced Marriages
D. STRENGTHEN CHILDREN’S CONNECTION WITH THEIR PERSONAL ORIGINS
1. Making Knowledge of an Abandoned Child’s Origins a Personal Right of the Child
2. Creating a Two-Track System for Anonymous Donors and Identified Donors of Gametes for Medically Assisted Procreation
3. Authorizing Transfer of an Embryo post mortem in Specific Circumstances
E. HOLDING PARENTS ACCOUNTABLE
1. Encouraging Co-parenting by the Father and Mother
a) Improving the use of alternating residence
b) Strengthening family mediation
c) Ensuring better compliance with parental obligations
2. Giving Legal Parents the Opportunity to Appoint a Delegate for Matters Affecting Children’s Everyday Lives
3. Strengthening the Role of Third Parties After the Death of the Parents
4. Improving the Manner in which Grandparents’ Rights are Exercised by Making them Subordinate to the Best Interests of the Child
II. GUARANTEEING THAT THE CHILD IS PROTECTED
A. STRENGTHENING RISK PREVENTION AND DETECTION
1. Moving Detection Efforts up to Include Pregnancy
2. Improving Detection Procedures
a) Responsibility for detecting children at risk must rest with a clearly identified person in authority
b) Teachers and Doctors Must be More Involved
c) Professionals must be able to better assess the risk a child is at
3. Sharing Information
4. Ensuring Oversight of Identified Families
B. IMPROVE THE CARE PROVIDED TO CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES
1. Clarifying the Criteria for Taking into Care
a) The concept of the best interests of the child must be clarified
b) Interventions by judges must be more carefully targeted
2. Reviewing the Procedure for Taking into Care
a) Providing better services for children and their families
b) Guaranteeing continuity in placements of children
c) Respecting the rights of isolated foreign minors
d) Clarifying the procedure for exercising parental authority
C. CLARIFYING THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME
1. Strengthening Coherency in Actions Taken by Departments
2. Modernizing the Operation of Children’s Courts
3. Strengthening Oversight and Harmonizing Practices in the Departments
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Vive la France!
@Ruth
LOL, my guess is you were banning French Fires a few years ago, Ruth.
@Mark
“LOL, my guess is you were banning French Fires a few years ago, Ruth.”
Conjecture.
@Deb
“Conjecture.”
Your point is?
@Mark
Honestly, my point was that attacking Ruth with pure speculation and derision such as that makes you look bad.
@Deb
One, it was a joke.
Second, with ALL the speculation and derision on this blog (not to mention the misinformation and downright lies), this is a grain of sand on the beach.
Third, I noticed Ruth did care enough to respond so why should you?