(Ordo Iuris) — Last fall, the Government Legislation Center published a draft “law on registered civil partnerships” pushed by Minister for Equality Katarzyna Kotula, granting same-sex cohabiting couples privileges reserved for married couples. The law was to be pushed through parliament as a government bill.
During one of the LGBT marches, Minister Kotula even announced that “after civil partnerships, after marriage equality, after the gender recognition act, after dignity and human rights for the LGBT community, she will go to hell and make a pact with the devil.” Devil worshippers did indeed march during the last ‘Equality Parade’ in Warsaw in June, carrying a banner reading “Satan does not exclude.”
Thanks to our efforts, the anti-family bill did not gain government support
Although months have passed since Minister Kotula’s draft was published, the government’s bill has been put on hold. The analytical work and information campaign carried out by the Ordo Iuris Institute were of great importance at that time. Ordo Iuris experts did what they do best—we analyzed over 500 pages (!) of documents comprising the package of regulations introducing “partnerships,” which interfered with a total of over 250 existing laws!
Had the proposed changes come into force, Polish law would have granted same-sex couples tax privileges similar to those enjoyed by married couples, as well as the right to receive a widow’s pension for a homosexual partner. It would have allowed joint custody of children adopted by partners, and it would have regulated the granting of the last name of the biological parent’s homosexual partner to a child. Furthermore, it would have allowed refugees to bring their homosexual partners to Poland and professional soldiers to take their homosexual partners on missions…
Minister Kotula wants marital privileges for same-sex partnerships
Although this bill has been put on hold, just 10 days after the second round of the presidential election held on June 1, the Left parliamentary group submitted a similar bill to the Sejm as a parliamentary bill. Consultations on the bill ended last week.
According to the provisions proposed by the Left, same-sex partnerships are to imitate constitutionally protected marriages. ‘Partnerships’ would (like marriages) be registered at civil registry offices, file joint tax returns, and even participate in the care of children adopted by partners, which is a clear prelude to the introduction of same-sex adoption.
The time has come for us to act and firmly convince others to reject bad laws and protect the family, marriage, and children.
International genderist and pro-abortion organizations appreciate the effectiveness of Ordo Iuris
The effectiveness of our actions is confirmed by LGBT activists themselves. The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) has published a report on the implementation of LGBT lobby demands in Europe. Poland ranked a distant 39th out of 49 countries. The authors of the report cite the effective actions taken by Ordo Iuris lawyers as the reason for Poland’s prestigious position in this annual ranking.
That’s not all! The European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights has just published a report on ‘anti-gender’ organizations in Europe. The Ordo Iuris Institute is the main protagonist in this report, and its name is mentioned 69 times. What is more, the authors explicitly recognize Ordo Iuris as one of the two most significant enemies of gender ideologues in Europe, alongside our long-standing partner and ally, the Hungarian Center for Fundamental Rights.
READ: Canada’s public broadcaster uses taxpayer money to push LGBT agenda on young kids
The ‘civil partnership’ bill must be rejected
In our legal opinion submitted to the Left’s draft bill on ‘partnerships,’ we point out that the draft undermines Poland’s constitutional definition of marriage as a union between a woman and a man by creating the institution of ‘partnerships’ that imitate marriage. Under the proposed provisions, same-sex cohabiting couples would receive the most attractive marital privileges but would be exempt from numerous obligations associated with marriage. In our opinion, we reminded the government that the reason why marriages are endowed with numerous privileges under Polish law is the expected benefit for the nation in the form of the conception and birth of new citizens, and their upbringing in the most natural and stable environment, which is marriage, promoted by the state as the ideal form of cohabitation.
However, legal opinions are not everything. It will be crucial to reach a wide audience as well as opinion leaders, politicians, journalists, and clergymen with accurate and reliable arguments in defense of marriage.
We are preparing the publication of the book In Defense of Marriage
Anticipating this turn of events, our colleague from the Ordo Iuris board has been writing another book under this title since December last year. The book is currently being edited and will be available in August in Polish. In Defense of Marriage (in Polish: W obronie małżeństwa) is an extremely timely collection of arguments proving that marriage exists to unite a man and a woman as husband and wife, so that together they may be the father and mother of children who may be born of their union. This truth, recognized throughout all ages and civilizations, is being questioned today. The book In Defense of Marriage argues that abandoning this definition is not a sign of progress, but a mistake with far-reaching consequences.
The book will show how recognizing same-sex partnerships as marriage will set in motion a dynamic of gradual rejection of further boundaries and lead to the ultimate dismantling of the institution of marriage.
UN expert wants Poland to implement the LGBT agenda
However, the fight to defend marriage and the family is also being fiercely fought on the international stage. In June, a report by the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity accused Poland of discriminating against people with homosexual tendencies, among other things, by denying them the right to formalize their relationships.
In our response, we pointed out that the document was based on unreliable and selective methodology. Its author, Graeme Reid (the ‘Independent Expert’), is known for publications promoting the LGBT agenda, such as How to Be a Real Gay: Gay Identities in Small-town South Africa. Unsurprisingly, he based his new report exclusively on accounts gathered in Poland’s largest cities during conversations with city officials and LGBT activists.
This ‘Independent Expert’ demands that Poland formalize same-sex partnerships, introduce same-sex adoption, combat ‘hate speech,’ reimburse the costs of ‘transitional’ mutilation of young people, and welcome migrants from Africa and the Middle-East whom Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus is bringing to Poland’s eastern border.
It is no surprise, of course, that the ‘Independent Expert’ report positively assessed the efforts of Donald Tusk’s government, which is working intensively to implement the gender agenda in Poland.
Our actions at the level of national law-making, providing arguments to defenders of marriage, and fighting for the family in international forums are bringing results, as evidenced by those foreign reports pointing to the effectiveness of Ordo Iuris.
Adv. Jerzy Kwaśniewski
President of the Ordo Iuris Institute
Reprinted with permission from Ordo Iuris.
