A Global Trend Reflects a Return to Traditional Marriage

Polls in Spain and international trends reflect a return to a classical understanding of marriage, based on monogamy, heterosexuality, stability, a formal commitment and an orientation toward forming a family.

BURGOS, Spain (Zenit) - The general secretary of Spain's Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation contended that traditional marriage is back in style.

Rafael Navarro Valls affirmed this last Thursday, saying that numerous legal measures established in various countries, and sociological polls carried out in Spain, reflect a return to a classical understanding of marriage, based on monogamy, heterosexuality, stability, a formal commitment and an orientation toward forming a family.

In a conference in Burgos, Navarro Valls affirmed that "both the most recent studies from the Center of Sociological Investigation, as well as the studies of values and youth, [show] maximum importance is given to the family in life, above friends, work or professional competence" and that "on a scale of one to 10, the family based on matrimony and with children of both members of the couple is valued at more than nine," thus measured as the closest thing to the "ideal family model."

Among the legal measures established in various countries, the official mentioned so-called covenant marriage, now approved in Louisiana, Arizona and Arkansas.

This legislation provides for a separate, additional marriage license that is more difficult to get, and more difficult to dissolve. Couples are required to receive counseling before marriage and, should they later want a divorce, they have to get counseling first.

Navarro Valls also mentioned legal reactions to increasing approval of so-called homosexual marriage.

He noted an amendment recently debated in the U.S. Senate, laws that expressly define marriage as the union between one man and one woman promulgated in 39 U.S. states and approved by referendum in 19 cases, the abolishment of laws that permit homosexual unions in the territory of the Australian capital, and the intention declared by the new Canadian government of presenting legislation to overturn current laws permitting homosexual "marriage."

Navarro Valls cited other examples as well: The Constitution of Honduras was modified to define marriage as a "legal union of man and woman"; a similar process is under way in Guatemala. In Costa Rica homosexual "marriage" was declared unconstitutional.An amendment is being presented to make the definition of marriage constitutional in El Salvador.

Latvia already approved something similar. The Philippines is also considering the same, and in Spain, the Constitutional Court is considering the constitutionality of that country's law approving homosexual unions.