marriage
The APCCS also confirmed the government’s efforts to protect marriage, arguing that the “best practice” was to enshrine the definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman in the Singapore Constitution.
“Clarifying the government’s current position will reflect that stable marriages and families are objectively important foundations of a strong and prosperous Singapore.”
“In our view, the constitutional protections to avoid legal challenges to marriage, which are insufficient to formalize marriage, are insufficient to protect such essential social institutions. Inadequate protection makes marriage vulnerable to the persistence of activists seeking to redefine it.”
Singapore’s current legal status with respect to marriage is defined in Article 12 of the Women’s Charter as between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriage is considered void.
Shanmugam said last month that while the government considered next steps for Section 377A, it was looking at ways to protect its current legal status on marriage from challenges in court.
The APCCS said repealing Section 377A without specifying a definition of marriage “represents a shift in values” and “a step towards liberalizing Singapore’s moral landscape”. .
The alliance said, “We seek confirmation of social values that contribute not only to preserving marriage but also to preserving public order and morals in both words and actions.”
“We actively preserve the innocence of children growing up in an increasingly sexualized world who are prematurely exposed to ideas that require higher levels of physical and emotional maturity. and must be protected.
It once again thanked the government for its active engagement with its stakeholders and hoped it would continue to engage them until they “collectively reach a certain position.”
The APCCS said it “warned against rushing this process before indicating that specific and appropriate safeguards have been enacted to address the vulnerabilities created by the move to Section 377A.” .
“While we are vigilant about normalizing homosexuality in Singapore, we empathize and reach out to those who are same-sex attracted,” he added.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Catholic Archbishop William Goh said the decision on whether to repeal Section 377A rests with the government.
He added that the church is neutral on the issue as long as the rights of Catholics are protected.
In an interview with Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, Archbishop Goh admitted that many people do not see the presence of LGBT people as a problem.
He was quoted as saying that they could live their own lives and that Catholics didn’t want to see them as sinners.
