The government’s same sex ‘marriage’ Bill will permit men to be referred to as “wives” and women as “husbands” in a move that has been described by opponents as "ridiculous".
Guidelines
The guidance document to the Government’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill explains how the terms “husband” and “wife” will be used interchangeably if the proposed legislation passed into law.
The document gives an example of the 1963 Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act which states that health and safety rules are not necessarily applicable to an employee who is the "husband, wife, civil partner ......of the person by whom they are so employed."
“This means that ‘husband’ here will include a man or a woman in a same sex marriage, as well as a man married to a woman”, the guidelines say.
“In a similar way, 'wife' will include a woman married to another woman or a man married to a man.
“The result is that this section is to be construed as including both male and female same sex marriage.”
The document also states that the word “marriage” - which appears around 3000 times in UK legislation - must be taken to include same sex couples each time it is mentioned in the law.
Future legislation
It goes on to explain that the traditional definition of “husband” and “wife” could make a come-back in future legislation in some, but not all, cases.
“The term ‘husband’ will in future legislation include a man who is married to another man (but not a woman in a marriage with another woman),” it adds.
“And 'wife' will include a woman who is married to another woman (but not a man married to another man) unless specific alternative provision is made.”
But opponents have the described the move as “ridiculous”, saying that it will result in confusion and do away with the common understanding of how spouses are referred to.
Reversal
During debates in Parliament, Lord Tebbit said: "It sounds not merely like gobbledegook but the reversal of the natural and normal meaning of words."
A spokesman for the Coalition for Marriage told the Daily Telegraph: ‘We always knew the Government would tie itself in knots trying to redefine marriage, and this shows what a ridiculous mess they’ve created.
“This mangling of the English language shows what happens when politicians meddle with marriage. They’re in cloud cuckoo land.”
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