Same-sex marriage push threatens religious freedoms

The same-sex marriage debate is being wielded by the gay rights lobby and our public broadcasters to undermine our fundamental freedom of thought, conscience and religion – a freedom protected by no less than the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In contrast, the European Court of Human Rights has expressly ruled that same-sex marriage is not a human right, as so-called ‘marriage equality’ advocates would have us believe.

It is therefore concerning that sectional interests are riding roughshod over inalienable rights protected at international law.

This is where the Shorten-Plibersek bill falls so short.  It fails to provide sufficient protections for private service providers who have a genuine religious objection to facilitating a same-sex marriage.  

Sure, it provides that ministers of religion will not be forced to officiate same-sex weddings.  This is the very least it could do.

But what about the Muslim wedding planner who has a genuine faith objection to plan a lesbian wedding?  Or the Jewish marriage counsellor who cannot in good conscience provide sex therapy to an engaged homosexual couple?

And this is no mere rhetorical question.

In 2009, a Christian relationships counsellor in the United Kingdom was sacked for standing by his religious conviction to not provide sex therapy to a gay couple.  His employer could have easily reallocated his caseload.  Instead, it fired him.  The UK Employment Appeals Tribunal upheld his dismissal as lawful.

If the Shorten-Plibersek bill is passed in its current form, there will be no protection at law that would prevent the UK experience from being mirrored right here in Australia.

The bill fails to appreciate the significant consequences of legalising same-sex marriage for Australia’s faith communities.  Instead, it buys into the flimsy rhetoric of the gay rights lobby that any opposition to same-sex marriage is bigoted discrimination that should be censored, silenced and outlawed.

The gay rights lobby will do whatever it takes to legislate same-sex marriage, even if it means stripping our faith communities of their fundamental right to religious freedom.