Russian lawmaker proposes constitutional amendment banning gay ‘marriage’
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, April 8, 2014, – The leader of one of Russia’s political partieshas introduced an initiative to modify the country’s constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Igor Zotov, the sponsor of the measure, is the head of the Russian Pensioner’s Party, in addition to being a Lower House MP. His proposal would change Article 38 of Russia’s constitution, inserting the line “Motherhood and childhood, family and marriage as a voluntary union between a man and a woman are under the protection of the state.” Currently, the constitution mentions the “family,” but without defining it.
The proposal would change Article 38 of Russia’s constitution, inserting the line “Motherhood and childhood, family and marriage as a voluntary union between a man and a woman are under the protection of the state.”
Zotov said that recent influence from the West and the growing prevalence of same-sex “marriage” necessitates the constitutional amendment.
The proposed change to the constitution has yet to acquire the 90 signatures necessary for it to be introduced for official hearing, though Zotov says he has received support from some Duma deputies.
Zotov told the popular Russian newspaper, Izvestia, that he “got this idea from the members of the Pensioners’ Party branches in Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk.”
“These people,” Zotov continued, “were extremely concerned over the processes that are currently taking place all over the world, in particular by the fact that the laws allowing gay marriage have been passed in 15 different countries and four regions within larger nations.”
Despite antagonism from homosexual rights groups, the majority of Russians oppose same-sex “marriage.”
MP Vladimir Bessonov of the Communist Party stated that the government has the duty to listen to the voice of the majority and act accordingly.
“The same-sex marriage problem is quite acute at the moment,” Bessonov said. “Theoretically, democratic nations must act according to the will of the majority of population. In reality we can see that it is the active minority that actively lobbies its interests. There were mass protests in France, but no one paid any attention to them. To protect our citizens we have to resort to such measures.”
This proposed measure is the latest in a string of legislation in Russia aimed at protecting traditional marriage and curtailing dissemination of propaganda by gay rights activists.
Last spring, a bill was passed banning gay couples from adopting Russian children. In July, Putinsigned a bill banning Gay Pride parades and the dissemination of homosexual propaganda.
Russia’s opposition to same-sex “marriage” caused a deluge of criticism from several countriesleading up the 2014 Winter Olympic Games held in Sochi. President Obama declined to attend the opening ceremonies, along with Vice President Joe Biden and their wives. Instead he sent a delegation of openly homosexual athletes as representatives.
