Bishop Larry Silva Addresses Senator Robert Bunda on Civil Unions (02/13/09)

Bishop Larry Silva sends a letter to Senator Robert Bunda on the issue of civil unions.

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On February 13, 2009, Bishop Larry sent a letter to Senator Robert Bunda expressing the position of the Diocese on civil unions.

(Click here to view PDF version of the letter)

 
Date:  February 13, 2009

Subject:  Civil Unions

Dear Senator Bunda:

I am writing to express my opposition to HB444, passed yesterday by the Hawaii State House of Representatives.  As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I urge you to put a stop to this travesty to our democratic process.
A decade ago, the people of Hawaii voted their clear intention that marriage is between one man and one woman.  The civil unions bill, though it does not call a civil union marriage, in effect ignores the will of the people and simply gives a different name to what is really construed as a marriage between partners of the same sex.

A push for “equality” seems to be the driving force behind this civil unions bill.  But the word equality is misused.  In the realm of mathematics a “3” certainly has the same qualitative status as a “9”.  Both are equal in the fact that both are real numbers.  But 3 = 9 is simply not true.

Every human being is equal to every other human being, no matter what the person’s gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or citizenship.  But marriage between one man and one woman is NOT equal to same-sex marriage (or civil union, or whatever other term we choose to call it).  Here is why:

•         Society has a stake in marriage.  It is not a private affair, or else there would be no need to license it and recognize it civilly.

•         Society’s stake in marriage is based upon the family and the need for its stability.  It is the family that is the bedrock of any civilization and of any community.

•         One of the obvious purposes of marriage, from time immemorial, is the procreation and formation of children.  Such procreation is not possible in a same sex union and therefore should not be given the same dignity or protection as marriage.

•         Children grow best in a stable environment with a mother and a father.  Although this is obviously not always possible, our laws should express the ideal structures that are best for children.

•         Accepting civil unions as an indication of equality may lead others to seek the same “equality.”  Will polygamists be next to demand “equality”?  Others whose values will continue to erode the social fabric of our community?  If we play out the “logic” behind same sex unions, many such things could be required under the rubric of a false notion of equality.

Of course there are compelling theological reasons for not sanctioning same sex unions, but I will not mention those here.

Once again, I urge you to stop this movement to permit civil unions in the State of Hawaii.

Thank you for all you do and for your attention to this matter.

 + Larry Silva
Most Reverend Clarence (Larry) Silva