Mexican Supreme Court Effectively Legalizes Gay ‘Marriage’ 

                                   By Jonathan Ekene Ifeanyi

On Friday, June 12, Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice issued a statement declaring that every State Constitution in Mexico that recognizes marriage as between one man and one woman is unconstitutional.

“Any state law which considers that the purpose of marriage is procreation and/or that defines it as being celebrated between one man and one woman, is unconstitutional,” reads the declaration.

The ruling even said the purpose of marriage is not procreation:

“As the purpose of matrimony is not procreation, there is no justified reason that the matrimonial union be heterosexual, nor that it be stated as between only a man and only a woman. Such a statement turns out to be discriminatory in its mere expression.”

Again:

“To consider that the purpose of marriage is procreation is unsuitable,” the Court stated. “The only constitutional purpose this case law obeys is the protection of family as a social reality.”

“If they’re now legalizing marriage between people of the same sex, later they will legalize marrying dogs,” said Guillermo Trujillo, president for Veracruz’ Evangelical Network, according to Imagen del Golfo.

Bishop Felipe Gallardo, also from Veracruz, said the Supreme Court’s decision was an “aberration.”

The country’s Episcopal Conference has made no statement on the matter.

Whilst no official legislation has been brought forward in parliament to introduce marriage for gay and bisexual couples, the court ruling represents a precedent which will require courts throughout the country to follow suit.

This means that same-sex “marriage” has effectively been legalised throughout Mexico.

Estefanía Vela, a legal scholar at a Mexico City University told the New York Times of the ruling: “Without a doubt, gay marriage is legal everywhere. If a same-sex couple comes along and the code says marriage is between a man and a woman and for the purposes of reproduction, the court says, ‘Ignore it, marriage is for two people'.”

It is now up to couples to petition the courts individually, a process which can last several months and amount to legal bills of up to $1,000.

A number of Latin American countries have allowed same-sex “marriage” in recent years. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have already done so, whilst Chile and Ecuador are set to do so in the near future. Uruguay was the second Latin American country to legalize gay “marriage”, in April 2013. The marriage equality law was approved by the Senate 23 votes to 8. The second country to legalize gay “marriage” in 2013 was New Zealand. The bill passed with a wide majority. Seventy votes in favour and 44 against. New Zealand was the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalize gay “marriage.”

France’s upper house of parliament voted to legalize gay marriage in April 2013. They approved the bill with only small changes. The bill was passed in the lower house in May 2013. France is the fourteenth country to legalize same-sex “marriage.” Then we have Ireland and now Mexico.  

It should be noted that “Pope” Francis’ influence has largely been responsible for some of these new developments. Francis 1 has been “open” and “supportive” of gay priest, gay marriage,  and birth control. Six months into his “papacy”, Francis 1 sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic church with the publication of his remarks that the church had grown “obsessed” with abortion, gay “marriage” and contraception, and that he had chosen not to talk about those issues despite recriminations from critics.

His surprising comments came in a lengthy interview in which he criticized the Catholic Church for “putting dogma before love”, and for “prioritizing moral doctrines over serving the poor and marginalized.”