Catholic priest Father Merv Duffy argues a change is wrong, dangerous, expensive and unnecessary while Presbyterian minister Margaret Mayman says it is equality that most New Zealanders, gay and straight, want.
Father Merv Duffy: I oppose the proposed re-definition of marriage in Labour MP Louisa Wall’s bill before Parliament because it is wrong, dangerous, expensive and unnecessary.
It is wrong because marriage is a historical and cultural universal reflecting our nature.
Humans are a sexually differentiated species – males and females are different – and we pair-bond. A couple who are attracted to each other set up a household and raise a family. The family, involving the genetic parents of the children co-operating to raise them, is an enduring institution which has taken many forms. Read more
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Fr Merv Duffy is a Catholic priest who lectures at Good Shepherd College in Auckland; Rev Margaret Mayman is a Presbyterian minister.