FINLAND: Parliament Debates Initiative To Repeal Same-Sex Marriage Law Before It Goes Into Effect

Early this year Finland’s parliament finalized the details of the marriage equality law which goes into effect in March 2017. Enter the group attempting to repeal the law before then. Via the Helsinki Times:

A citizens’ initiative to repeal the upcoming legislative amendment granting marriage rights to same-sex couples was discussed at the Finnish Parliament on Thursday. Hanna Sarkkinen (Left Alliance) reminded that everyone should be treated equally under the law and pointed out that the legislative amendment will have no effect whatsoever on the lives of those who oppose it. The amendment, she added, has not even had an impact on the practices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Finns Party member Leena Meri, pointed out that the over 100,000 signatories of the citizens’ initiative consider it important that the issue is re-considered by the Parliament. Mika Niikko (PS), in turn, argued that the debate over the issue of gender-neutral marriage has focused excessively on the rights of adults, not those of children. Emma Kari (Greens) contrastively estimated that it is frustrating and insulting for sexual minorities that marriage rights are yet again on the agenda regardless of the fact that the amendment has already received the blessing of the Parliament.

More from YLE:

The citizens’ initiative is unique in that it seeks to negate a law change that itself began with a citizens’ initiative. The composition of Parliament has changed since the first initiative was approved, but this does not mean that the push to repeal the earlier decision will be successful, the paper writes. As a candidate, Centre Party prime minister Juha Sipilä said before the 2015 parliamentary elections that the elected government would comply with previous Parliament’s intent.

The ink had barely dried on the parliamentary decision when two citizens, Jukka-Pekka Rahkonen and Pasi Turunen, started a counter-initiative and founded the Aito avioliitto (Genuine Matrimony) association. The group seeks to undo the gender-neutral Marriage Act and keep legal marriage exclusively between a man and woman in Finland. The movement’s main justification is children’s right to both a mother and father. They also argue that procreation is dependent on both sexes and that “men and women complement each other”.

On their Facebook page Finland’s anti-LGBT group is using the banner of France’s violently anti-LGBT La Manif Pour Tous. Similarly, they have repurposed the below English-language screed against same-sex marriage.