PRESS STATEMENT 1 July 2003 LEADING CHRISTIAN GROUPS WARN AGAINST 'GAY MARRIAGE' PROPOSALS Government proposals to give gay and lesbian couples the same legal rights as married couples are tantamount to 'gay marriage', according to the Evangelical Alliance and CARE. The leading evangelical Christian groups are deeply concerned about the proposals, which include pension and property entitlements if gay and lesbian couples register their commitment in a civil ceremony. The moves will give next-of-kin rights in hospitals, allow gay couples to benefit from a dead partner's pension, and exempt them from inheritance tax on a partner' s home. While recognising that there are valid justice issues to be considered for homosexual couples, such as next-of-kin rights in hospitals, the Evangelical Alliance and CARE believe that these should be considered on a case by case basis. "The answer is not to simply transfer all the benefits married couples enjoy. Marriage involves the union of one man to one woman, to the exclusion of all others for life. There are no such obligations placed on gay couples in these proposals," said Roger Smith, Head of Public Policy at CARE. Don Horrocks, Public Affairs manager of the Evangelical Alliance, agreed that marriage is a unique institution which the state acknowledges as providing the best foundation for a stable society. "As Christians we place great store by the creation of human beings as male and female in the image of God and believe that the fitting partner for man is woman. Jesus himself emphasises that only man and woman are to be 'one flesh' (Mark 10: 6-8), which underlines the unique nature of the union, and Paul understood marriage in the light of Christ's relationship to the Church. Such an understanding of marriage stands in contrast to the 'me first' rights-driven agenda of much contemporary aspiration," Don said. Despite the Government's claim that the proposals do not amount to gay marriage, both CARE and the Evangelical Alliance warn that will be the effect. Roger Smith at CARE said: "The truth is that all the rights that are presently available to married couples are being transferred to gay couples on registration. This partnership scheme will even be administered by registrars, who will grant partnership status after a formal registration of the relationship. This is gay marriage in all but name." Ends Media enquiries: Cathy Le Feuvre Evangelical Alliance 020 7207 2117 NOTES TO EDITORS: The Evangelical Alliance UK was founded in 1846 and today represents over one million evangelical Christians in the UK, with nearly 7,000 churches and organisations in membership or affiliate membership. The Evangelical Alliance is a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, which now has 120 member Alliances, together representing 160 million evangelicals worldwide. An evangelical is someone who believes that Jesus is both God and man; that the Bible is the ultimate authority in all that it addresses; and that the traditional beliefs of the Church such as the physical resurrection of Jesus are true. An evangelical owns a commitment to Christ as their personal saviour and a desire to live out that faith in the community. CARE is a well-established NGO that undertakes a variety of social caring and educational programmes in the UK as well as research and lobbying on associated issues. CARE's concern is for the well-being of all in society but particularly for the most vulnerable and needy. CARE has a Headquarters office in Westminster and is represented in all the UK Capitals and in Brussels.
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