Brazilians fight back as regulatory agency tries to impose homosexual ‘marriage’ on entire country
Brazilian pro-family politicians have announced that they will fight a decree issued by the country’s National Council of Justice (CNJ) that orders all of Brazil’s registrars to accept applications for homosexual “marriage” and threatens them with legal action if they refuse.
The decree, which was issued on May 14, claims to implement a 2011 decision by the country’s Supreme Federal Tribunal, which ruled that homosexual unions are eligible to be registered as “stable unions,” similar to common-law marriages in Anglophone countries.
However, parliamentarians from the Social Christian Party and other pro-family representatives are crying foul, pointing out that the Tribunal’s decision does not mention “marriage.” They say they intend to file suit with the Tribunal against the CNJ to nullify the decree.
“Our understanding is that it was disastrous decision, inappropriate and unconstitutional,” said Everaldo Pereira, vice president of the Christian Social Party. He added that his party would file suit with the Tribunal “as soon as possible,” and that Brazilians in general were “unsatisfied” with the decree.
Decio Lima, president of the Constitution and Justice Committee for the Chamber of Deputies, remarked that if the judicial branch was to continue deciding such matters, it would be appropriate to “close the National Congress.” Although he thought the CNJ had authority to implement the 2011 decision of the Tribunal, “it is appropriate for the Congress to decide regarding marriage between people of the same sex.”
The decision to force homosexual “marriage” on the nation’s registrars is particularly controversial, because many have refused to implement even the Supreme Federal Tribunal’s 2011 decision regarding “stable unions” for homosexuals, objecting that it contradicts the Constitution’s clear definition of “stable unions” as “between a man and a woman.”
Even Brazil’s assistant attorney general, Francisco Sanseverino, who appears sympathetic to homosexual “marriage,” objected that the decision transgressed the limits of the CNJ’s authority, noting that “the automatic conversion of the stable union into marriage was not imposed by that decision” of the Supreme Federal Tribunal.
His position was seconded by one of the members of the CNJ, Maria Cristina Peduzzi, who objected that the Council was usurping the authority of the national Congress.
However, the Congress’ only openly homosexual representative, Deputy Jean Willys, celebrated the decision by the CNJ to override the Congress. “When justice isn’t done by the Congress, it’s done by the judicial branch,” he told reporters.
In addition to using the concept of “stable unions” as a gateway to homosexual “marriage,” they have also been used to register a “union” of three persons in at least one case.
