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Minister: gay relationships share 'conservative values'
Published: 7 Aug 12 09:59 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20120807-44203.html
German Family Minister Kristina Schröder of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has said gay partnerships represent "conservative values" because of their "long-term commitment" - so they should get the same tax breaks as marriages.
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In a joint statement, the conservative parliamentarians said, "It is not acceptable that politicians are constantly … being asked to abolish the current inequality by the Constitutional Court."
The proposal comes in reaction to a Constitutional Court verdict from last week, which decided that public officials, judges, and soldiers in registered partnerships - whether gay or heterosexual - should have the same custody rights as married couples, and so should also be entitled to family allowance.
The 13 MPs therefore called on their own party to "finally" to make tax equality "its own political decision."
"We want to recognize that life partners with a registered partnership have set up a framework for a long-term relationship based on mutual trust and affection," the statement said. They said registered partners had the same "mutual income obligations and duties to each other" as married couples, so they should have the same tax status.
The MPs intend to put their proposal to the CDU parliamentary faction after the Bundestag's summer interval. Schröder supported the proposal, telling the newspaper that it had come at the right time, "because in lesbian and gay life partnerships, people take on long-term responsibility for each other, and so they live by conservative values."
Up until now, the CDU has opposed tax equality between marriages and homosexual partnerships, though the Free Democratic Party, the junior party in the government coalition, has long been a proponent.
The Local/bk
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Your comments about this article:
Germany is advanced country when it comes to human cloning, and stem cell, although they do clone some human body parts. This image is bad for Germany and the spread of HIV. These genome errors normanl starts at small age and, comes from animals and what people eat. I think the German govermnet uble to clone the genome errors. Finally people must understand patients and non patients. This picture is shamed for Germany and also anglos saxson communities, while they have the treatment.
The US Constitution strictly expresses a "separation of Church and State" . . . so, would it not be easier [for the US] to eliminate ALL Entitlements - specifically those that are recognized by religious organizations? In the US, [operating under the guise of the US Constitution] It could be very simple - as Marriage is, essentially, a religious accord, why should ONLY an accord of the Christian faith be recognized in Civil Entitlements - especially when the Constitution dictates a "separation of Church and State" ? If you are going to recognize Entitlements as an accord set forth by any religious organization, why not recognize the same Entitlements for all citizens? If for religious reasons you cannot agree to recognize an Entitlement [established by a religion] for all, then maybe it would be better to eliminate the Entitlement completely? The [Civil] benefits of Marriage could be eliminated completely, thereby offering genuine equality for all!
I do not know how the Constitution works in Germany, but I see this approach coming some day in the US as a result of this argument . . .
however
Religious values should not be applied in the case of same sex marriages, this is an issue for the State , it's representatives and voters.
I also hail from the liberal Christian approach, and as far as I am concerned, the NT doesn't deal with homosexuality sufficiently, to make it an issue, Jesus doesn't mention it at all, and therefore as far as I am concerned, it's not an issue that Christian Faith should be involving itself with. The way Jesus is reported to behave in the bible is openly inclusive of all people, this is the principle which guides my faith. He mixed with all people in a loving and accepting way, whatever walk of life - and if tax collectors are entitled to tax breaks under modern law (it's a bit hard to include prostitutes in this example!), and criminals, when working formally, and people with mental health problems, then why not homosexual couples? I say faith, not religion, because it's mainly the religious organisations that seem to be having problems with homosexuality. I have no problem with homosexual partners, in the context of a loving relationship, I don't see why they shouldn't be parents, I don't see why they shouldn't be entitled to the same financial benefits, and I have no problem with gay clergy. In the same way as skin colour, I don't think it's an issue, and not long ago the same 'trying to say black is white' was being applied to the racial equality issues.
Just my personal take.
'A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed.' - Deuteronomy 22:13-21