Italians Oppose Marriage, Adoption for Gays - VIVA ITALIA!

abcnews.go.com ^ | Nov. 7, 2004 | abcnews.go.com

[crushelits]

Italians largely oppose gay marriage with 61 percent rejecting homosexual wedlock and even more opposed to adoption for same-sex couples, a poll on Sunday showed.

In traditionally Roman Catholic Italy, home to the Vatican, only 32 percent of the population is favorable to gay marriage, according to a survey carried out for la Repubblica newspaper.

Only 21 percent of Italians thought a homosexual couple should be allowed to adopt a child.

Gay marriage has become a hot topic in Europe after Spain's new Socialist government approved a law last month that would give gay and lesbian couples the same right to marry, divorce and adopt children as heterosexuals.

Spain's move has been a particularly bitter pill for the Vatican since the law will make the traditionally Catholic country only the third in the world to legalize gay marriage after the Netherlands and Belgium.

A similar proposal is not likely in Italy where Church doctrine is still influential as seen by a recent fertility law, which has been called the most restrictive in Europe. Story continues

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Bump. Good for the Italians, standing up for the kids.

[Bonaparte]

That sucking sound you hear is Justice O'Connor taking a big breath before reminding us once again that we have to bring our laws into line with european law -- this time to permit the desecration of holy matrimony.

[risk]

bump

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

It's kind of sick how gay marriage and gay adoption are spun by their proponents as civil rights issues.

What about the civil rights of adopted children? What about their right to a mother and a father?

Bump.

[Bandaneira]

Italians are very good people in the main.

[Outland]

We should start declaring that it is our cival right not to be bothered by moronic liberal ideals that waste our tax dollars as well as our time.

[luvie]

Have you noticed that our civil rights are not equal to their civil rights?!!! Normal has become outside the "main-stream"!

[Validus]

Just another case of the liberals not understanding the simple concept that THEY ARE NOT THE WORLD MAJORITY.

There are "Red State rednecks", as they call them, ALL over the world, and there are a lot more of us than there are of them.

[TheUglyAmerican]

overheard at Dem headquarters: "ugggh - how unenlightened!!! If only these backward yokels were as sophisticated as those in Europe... (what was that? these WERE Europeans??) but this... does .... not compute... Europeans are always right.... Radical Homosexuals are always right... warning warning... system overload"

[Outland]

"Have you noticed that our civil rights are not equal to their civil rights?!!! Normal has become outside the 'main-stream'!"

Since libs are by nature, noisy attention seekers that generally hang around with other libs in large lib neighborhoods within a closed lib world, they have developed some distorted idea for too long that they had represented everyone... that they were the "mainstream".

In contrast, conservatives aren't interested in making noise to get attention. Most conservatives are too busy quietly building lives for themselves and their families, seeking an education to better themselves and not poking their noses in other people's business. To the libs, the apprarently quiet conservatives were all but invisible and were thought to be a tiny minority made of the likes of Rush, Sean and others, the few who took to a larger stage.

They were easy targets because their voices stood out, not drowned in a cacophony of mindless babble as it is in the lib world where Hollyweird celebs, music celebs and news media celebs all clamor for attention. To the libs, conservatives couldn't possibly be "mainstream". We seemed so few. So scattered. So invisible.

It never dawned on the slow witted libs that Rush, Sean and the others have loyal audiences in the 10's of millions. It never dawned on the libs that things like morals & family values and the defense, love & respect for this country are things held dear by a very large but quiet number of citizens. Citizens who don't worship Hollyweird idols. Citizens who don't see Jerry Springer as a mirror of our society, but instead as a smudge upon our country. We had no need for the likes of Kerry, Soros or the return of Bubba & company. We don't look up to the UN anymore than we would ask guidance from a nutcase like Madonna or ask France what cheese we should eat while fighting in Iraq.

No, us quiet conservatives might not ever have appeared as "mainstream" until on one election day, the "few", the "scattered" and the "invisible" united en mass to make some noise. Enough noise to make the whole world pause to listen and send every hard core socialist into shock. But you may right... our civil rights never do seem equal to the libs' civil rights... but on election day, our civil rights were exercised in a very loud way that the libs won't soon forget.

[alessandrofiaschi]

I'm in Italy and I know this question. But, pay attention friends freepers. This poll is not so representative of the middle italian way of thinking (and voting...). Italians (left and right) are very liberal in general and I don't think that a referendum against gay-marriage could pass (not only because it need here more that 50% of voters to the poll). Besides, Italian Constitution states in the Art. 29, that: "The Republic recognises the rights of the family as a natural society founded on matrimony. Matrimony is based on the moral and legal equality of the spouses within the limits laid down by law to guarantee the unity of the family.". Theorically nobody could prevent a gay family (is it natural?), because we have not a second oreder low. This is not my opinion, it's only a contribution to the discussion. Thank to all!
Alessandro

[alessandrofiaschi]

P.S. More in particular: if a leftist Parliament, in the future, states that matrimony is indipendent from the gender of the spouses, we could have immediately a PAC similar to French low. But the Italian Constitution does not help.

[alessandrofiaschi]

P.S. More in particular: if a leftist Parliament, in the future, states that matrimony is independent from the gender of the spouses, we could have immediately a PAC similar to French low. But the Italian Constitution does not help.

[narses]

Rome allowed liberals IN THE CHURCH free rein. They reap what they sow.

[flaglady47]

I just have a gut feeling that a lot of the general population in Spain, which for many, many years was a religious country, do not like the fact that this new Socialist gov't made gay marriage legal. I think the next election Spain has, these bozo's will be out on their derriere's (that's butt in English), mark my words. I think even Spain has it's silent moral majority. The only reason these socialists got in was because of their equivalent of our 9/11, but the populace there will find out that hiring Socialists to run their country will not bring them safety from the terrorists who have been plotting anew in Spain (they recently arrested another Al Qaeda related terrorist cell plotting terrorist attacks in Spain). And I believe that the day after they elected these Socialists thinking it would save them from more terrorist attacks, many of the Spanish people had immediate buyer remorse. Now I may be wrong here, but we'll see who they vote in next election after Spain starts going morally downhill and the gov't gives the people less safety under Socialist rule. The proof will be in the pudding.

[narses]

You are correct. Franco is gone, not forgotten. El Cid is gone, not forgotten. The left will be banished over time. The Moor Slayer will return to Spain.

[Jack of all Trades]

Thanks for the insight, very interesting. My wife is Italian. Judging by her family, there's hope for the future.

On another subject, I'm still wondering how some of the U.S. election rhetoric was received in Italy. Specifically, the comment by Kerry that some military organization was so weak that even the Italians could kick their @$$es. I made sure my wife, who watched not a second of the debates, heard about that one. She got that "oh yeah?" look in her eye.

[alessandrofiaschi]

Dear friend, the comment of Kerry passed a little only because our great Minister of Defense, Martino, decided to underline his disappointment. That's all.
Instead, there are many American leftist rats (Professors and so on) who are currently writing on our newspaper that Bush has no mandate (and that republican voters - they write - are all integralists and topers. I hate these American rats!). Today, I've written (in Italian) my own answer on an electronic newspaper, mocking a previous comment on Bush (Professor Stephen Martin is a rat). When it is published (I hope so), I'll say you and the FReeper all, where to find it. It's incredible, Dems and European left are so angry and mystifier. Our EU-Commissar-candidate Buttiglione has been fired, as you know, because he is a catholic!. In the Usa you have rats, but Italian leftists are even worse! They have the real power and they use it! In common (you and we conservatives), we have a media bias really strong. But we would need a Fox channel, but we haven't any now.

[ELS]

But we would need a Fox channel, but we haven't any now.

With all of Berlusconi's media holdings, none of the TV stations/networks are to the political right (or even center)?