LGBT rights groups yesterday praised the Executive Yuan for adhering to the Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. 748, saying that the Cabinet’s draft bill on same-sex marriage is “viable,” but conservative groups said that it contradicted the result of one referendum.
“We are happy and relieved that the Executive Yuan did not concede to anti-LGBT groups, but chose a more difficult path: to adhere to the constitutional interpretation and grant same-sex partners the right to register as married couples,” Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights member Hsu Hsiu-wen (許秀雯) told a news conference in Taipei.
Before Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Wednesday evening revealed that the bill had tentatively been named the “enforcement act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748,” many civic groups had been concerned that it would be a same-sex partnership law instead of a same-sex marriage law.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“The name of the bill is pretty different from what many of us had expected, as naming a law after a constitutional interpretation is unprecedented,” Hsu said.
An apparent attempt to reduce political opposition against same-sex marriage, “if giving the bill a neutral name could prevent unnecessary debate, we say that is a viable approach,” she said.
However, although the bill applies most of the marriage rights stated in the Civil Code to same-sex couples, there is still room for improvement, she said.
For examples, the bill does not allow same-sex couples to adopt children together and does not mention whether they can be considered “infertile couples” according to assisted reproduction laws, she said.
It also does not address international same-sex marriages, which are illegal because the Act Governing the Choice of Law in Civil Matters Involving Foreign Elements (涉外民事法律適用法) stipulates that international marriages are only effective when both countries recognize the union, she said.
The alliance would pay close attention to the Legislative Yuan’s review of the bill and hopes to see it become more refined in the future, she added.
Veteran gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威), who requested the constitutional interpretation, said that he was happy with the Cabinet’s decision, adding that he believes Su has a good chance to run for president representing the Democratic Progressive Party.
“Overall, I would give this draft bill a score of 85 out of 100. It is not an A plus, but it is at least an A-minus,” he said.
Legislators could make certain changes when reviewing the bill, but they should ensure that it does not contravene the constitutional interpretation, he added.
Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation convener Yu Hsin-yi (游信義) said that the Executive Yuan had ignored the referendum he proposed that opposed same-sex marriage.
The Cabinet’s draft aims only to implement the constitutional interpretation and not the referendum result, he told a news conference.
Yu’s referendum proposal stipulated retaining the definition of marriage in the Civil Code as a union between a man and a woman. It garnered 7,658,008 “yes” votes and 2,907,429 “no” votes when it was put to a vote on Nov. 24.
The referendum showed that more than 7,658,000 people believed that marriage should be between a man and a woman, he said.
To implement the referendum result, the government should add an additional provision to the Civil Code limiting marriage to unions between a man and a woman, Yu said.
“That marriage should be between a man and a woman, with one husband and one wife, should never be challenged,” he added.
While the Civil Code already states that “an agreement to marry shall be made by the male and the female parties in their own concord,” it does not constitute a clear definition of marriage, he said.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS