Difference between revisions of "Repeal "Freedom of Marriage Act""

Revision as of 00:11, 2 March 2015

Repeal "Freedom of Marriage Act" is the sixth resolution and second repeal to be adopted by the WA General Assembly in the year 2015. It declared null and void a mandate for legal same-sex marriage passed in the early days of the WA, on the grounds of redundancy. It is the first successful repeal introduced by Omigodtheykilledkenny under the mandate of the World Assembly, and that delegation's fourth successful repeal overall.

Although Freedom of Marriage Act (FOMA) was a popular target for repeal-authors since it was enacted in 2008, this marked the first time a repeal of the act reached quorum and went to vote. Much to the surprise of the authors, at least, it passed by a very wide margin and with little controversy or dissent on the General Assembly floor.

Resolution text

Description: WA General Assembly Resolution #15: Freedom of Marriage Act (Category: Human Rights; Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly,

Reaffirming its commitment to the cause of human rights and extending protections for LGBT persons across the NS world,

Resolving itself, however, of the need to remove wasteful, redundant and unnecessary legislation from its books,

Recalling that subsequent to Freedom of Marriage Act's adoption, Resolution #35: The Charter of Civil Rights (COCR) was enacted, forbidding discrimination by governments and/or public-service providers based on any "reductive categorisation," not just sex or sexual preference,

Contending that the passage of COCR eclipses the need for a Freedom of Marriage Act, as COCR effectively outlaws discrimination in the performance and recognition of marriages, and in a far more efficient manner,

Believing that this is evidenced by the fact that Freedom of Marriage Act only addresses discrimination in marriage based on sex, whereas COCR also outlaws discrimination against interracial, interfaith or intercultural couples,

Further condemning the confusing and needlessly complicated legal structure created by Freedom of Marriage Act, in which undefined "religious communities" are exempted from its terms, leaving theocratic regimes and nations with privatized marriage in doubt as to which set of rules they are meant to follow,

Reminding member states that repealing this act will not authorize discrimination against same-sex couples in any way,

Hereby REPEALS Resolution #15: Freedom of Marriage Act.

Additional materials

• Repeal "Freedom of Marriage Act" - floor debate
• How would you have voted on famous past resolutions? - includes some discussion on FOMA
• Should FOMA be replaced? - poll/draft for repeal by Christian Democrats (never got to quorum)
• Marriage Legality Convention - draft for replacement (sovereigntist blocker) by SchutteGod, eventually abandoned