Australia to prevent gay marriage BBC News Thursday, 27 May, 2004 Prime Minister John Howard wants Australia's marriage law clarified to stop homosexual couples marrying. He asked parliament to amend the law to specify that marriage must involve a man and a woman, and also to stop gay couples adopting foreign children. At present, homosexual partners cannot marry. But some have done so overseas and asked Australia's courts to recognise their union. The proposals were criticised by gay rights activists as "offensive". Mr Howard said marriage should be defined as a "voluntarily entered-into union of a man and a woman to exclusion of all others". "I believe in these measures - they wouldn't be coming forward if I didn't believe very strongly in them," he said. 全文请见 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3752697.stm Gay marriage ban not intended to offend: Howard ABC News Friday, May 28, 2004. The Prime Minister says his ban on gay and lesbian marriages in Australia was not designed to offend same-sex couples. Gay groups have condemned the Government's plan to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and to ban them from adopting children from overseas. They say changes to laws allowing them to transfer superannuation payouts to their partner tax-free when they die are insufficient compensation. On Southern Cross radio, John Howard has defended the changes. "I realize in public life that what you do sometimes offends some people," he said. "It's not designed to do that, but I equally don't apologise for wanting to put into the law the simple proposition that a marriage is a union between a man and a woman hopefully for life. "That doesn't in any way prevent people from having same sex relationships. "I believes marriages are for the continuation of the human race." -- 国父说：革命尚未成功，同志仍须努力！ --

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