France to Replace 'Mother' and 'Father' With 'Parents' on Official Documents
The governing body of France has stated that should the government pass legislation redefining the historical interpretation of marriage, current words used to describe parental figures could be removed and replaced with gender-neutral wording.
Francois Hollande, the French President, pledged to introduce legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage while he was running for president. Opponents have voiced their concern over the proposal to remove the words "mother" and "father" from official documents should the country adopt same-sex marriage.
The change would only permit the use of the word "parents," which would be used in marriage ceremonies for both heterosexual and homosexual ceremonies.
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French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, during a recent speech, revealed that lawmakers plan to put forward legislation in October that would allow same-sex couples to marry.
"In October, we will send a bill to the National Assembly and the Senate to allow same-sex couples to marry," said Ayrault, according to reports from UPI. "It would also allow them to form families and adopt children."
President Francois Hollande declared his support for both same-sex marriage and adoptions for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples during his campaign, according to reports from Le Monde.
There is limited support for gay marriage in France, the large Catholic presence the country is urging followers to do what is right. They have been highlighting the importance of traditional family values.
The French bishops' conference had also asked priests to read a prayer that asked the people of France to show the importance of "the love of a father and a mother" during the Assumption holiday last month, according to the AP.
Currently, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden allow same-sex marriage.
But France is not the only country currently debating legalizing same sex marriage. Officials in Scotland are meeting strong resistance from the Scottish Roman Catholic Church over plans to have Scotland become the first nation in the U.K. to legalize gay marriage.
"The church's teaching on marriage is unequivocal: It is uniquely the union of a man and a woman and it is wrong that governments, politicians or parliaments should seek to alter or destroy that reality," read a letter published by the Scottish Roman Catholic Church.
