What if Marriage is About More Than Love?

Wise words from Lucy Wicks MP, federal member for Robertson NSW. She points out that, as an ideal, we should keep marriage as a structure that gives children both a mother and father....

That is exactly what marriage does. And that is exactly what 'same-sex marriage' prevents. Why does such a common-sense statement now sound so revolutionary? Thank you, Ms Wicks, for speaking the gentle truth. Here is her speech before parliament this week:

Mr Deputy Speaker, what if, for a moment, as part of this debate, we actually dared to think through other possible implications of the consequences of a fundamental change to the definition of marriage.

What if it was more than about love? What if it’s also a question of a legacy for our children and our grandchildren and the generations to follow?

What if we carefully thought through the implications of changing the social framework for families and the raising of children…? Our next generation.

To take this further; What if we had a genuine conversation about the generational implications for the upbringing of children in changing the definition of marriage?

What if we dared to go even further and ask ourselves ‘does this matter?’

Not for ourselves, of course, because the ones who want to be able to make this very decision are grown, consenting adults.

But does it actually matter for children? For our children? For their children? For our children’s children? Beyond just the legal recognition of their parents’ relationship.

Of course, we know families today are not just nuclear families that reflect the ‘so called’ traditional marriage framework. But single parent, same sex and blended families living in towns and cities, on farms and in suburbs right around our country.

So, given this reality, is the current definition of marriage even relevant today?

I would argue that it absolutely is because regardless of whether you’re married, de facto couple, single parent or same-sex couple, the institution of marriage, in my view, exists as a reference point for families.

I believe it works as a reference point, or a framework that recognises that children, where possible, need a mother and a father, or a mother and father figure to help them best make sense of who they are as they grow.

It’s a framework that’s existed for centuries now and a framework that works well. Even in a society where marriage is no longer the only family structure where children are raised. Because it actually means that regardless of what family you belong to, there still exists a reference point in law, that states the significance of a male role model and a female role model for children.

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