More than forty members of the Slovak Parliament have so far joined the proposal presented on January 14 by Deputy Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Christian Democrat opposition party Jan Figeľ to enact constitutional protection of what is considered marriage.
Figeľ told the SITA news agency on Monday, a large group of deputies who responded positively and actively to his invitation will support the initiative to add two defining sentences into the country’s constitution to ensure it remains solely between a man and a woman. Following consultations with parliamentary political parties in autumn, all MPs were personally invited to join the initiative on the protection of marriage. “Marriage is such a basic and fundamental matter that it deserves a clear position and personal responsibility. The scope of support is exceptional, given the traditional parliamentary circumstances”, said Figeľ. He is proposing to include the following two sentences into the Slovak Constitution: “Marriage is a unique bond of one man and one woman. The Slovak Republic broadly protects marriage and aids its wellbeing”, adding that the main objective of marriage is a family and raising children. “And where it comes to children and their best interests, there is also the responsibility of society and the state. Because children are the future of every family, nation and society”, added Figeľ. While gay marriage is not presently recognised by law in Slovakia, if this proposal is adopted by a majority in parliament, allowing the marriage of two people of the same gender would become a violation of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic.
