The Federal Network of Families in Argentina recently launched a
petition calling on legislators to nullify the country's law on same-sex
“marriage.”
The group hopes to collect 500,000 signatures.
Juan Pablo Berarducci, the national coordinator of the signature
drive, told CNA on March 16 that if the measure is passed, gay
“marriage” will be outlawed in the entire country.
Same-sex “marriage” was legalized in Argentina in July 2010.
Laws legalizing gay “marriage” at the local and provincial levels
would thus be in conflict with Argentinean family policy, which is
rooted in article 14 of the country’s constitution, Berarducci
explained.
Abortion
The measure would also grant legal protection to pregnant women and
to the unborn by affirming that from the moment of conception, “the
unborn child has the inalienable right to life as the first human
right.”
The measure would ensure that the unborn “are not left to the
mercy of anyone.”
“The guarantee of this right in its maximum extension is a primordial
obligation of the government at all levels and in all situations that
could arise,” the measure states.
The petition process
Berarducci said the Network of Families is seeking to gather 500,000
signatures by July 2011, before the candidates for president and vice
president outline their policy platforms.
He also plans to gather the
support before the list of candidates running for the Argentinean House
and Senate is finalized.
This strategy would force candidates to take a position on the
measure and would give voters a better idea of how they intend to
govern, he explained.
Once lawmakers receive the petition, they will have 12 months maximum
to address it.
“This is the most important effect, as the signatures of
voters obligates them to act and provides lawmakers with a mandate
saying, we want this law,” Berarducci said.
He added that the petition is already gaining the support of a number of lawmakers at all levels of government.