Various representatives proposed their campaigns in the House of Representatives regarding the possibility of gay civil unions in response to Colombia’s Supreme Court’s call for legislation.
Miguel Gomez (Partido de la U., Bogota) announced on behalf of Guillermo Rivera (Liberal Party, Putumayo) the creation of an initiative that would consider marriage as a bond between two people, regardless of their gender. Rivera’s proposal would be a modification of the Civil Code.
On the other hand, the Conservative Party representative Heriberto Sanabria said that his party proposed to ask the National Electoral Council to authorize an additional ballot in the upcoming elections on October 30 which would ask voters what they think of gay marriage, the prohibition of abortion, and the presidential term limit.
Polo Democratico Alternativo (PDA) Representative Alba Luz Pinilla proposed that the recognition of marital rights for homosexual couples would allow the creation of families and children adoption. She also said that “Colombia should clearly realize that in reality, families exist in many different forms.”
The Constitutional Court President, Juan Carlos Henao, assured that the ruling of the court regarding rights of homosexuals to form families is fundamentally based in rules of the constitution regarding human rights. He supported that the juridical interpretation of family does not necessarily mean it has to be a relation between a male and female.
Responding to recent criticism from Colombia’s Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez, Henao said that judicial rulings do not exist that confirm that same-sex unions can not be possible, nor that the protection of relationships should only be granted to heterosexual partnerships. The judge said that although the inspector general was in his rights to ask to nullify the ruling, he should wait for a definitive sentence from the judges and then later will have three days to raise the request.
“Heterosexuality isn’t the only characteristic typical of a family, nor is blood relationship, it is how a family is raised together” declared the president of the Constitutional Court.