Romania is voting on a constitutional
amendment that would define marriage as “a union between a man and
a woman.”
Voting on the amendment is scheduled to
take place Saturday and Sunday.
Romania's constitution currently
defines marriage as a union between “spouses.” This weekend's
referendum seeks to change that by defining marriage as a union
between a man and a woman. A group called the Coalition for the
Family gathered 3 million signatures to put the question before
voters. The government and the Orthodox Church have endorsed the
initiative.
Opponents point out that gay and
lesbian couples are already excluded from marriage. Amending the
constitution would block lawmakers from extending marriage rights to
gay couples.
According to the AP, a 30-percent
turnout of registered voters is needed for the referendum to be
valid.
Speaking at a rally in southern
Romania, Orthodox Bishop Sebastian Pascanu called homosexuality a
Western import.
“This abnormality needs therapy,
treatment rather than special laws like the ones that have different
sexual orientations would like to have,” he
told the crowd.
Some voters said that they were
boycotting the vote in an effort to nullify its outcome.
“Even if I vote 'no,' I will help the
referendum get the turnout it needs,” said Marcel Badea, an
electrician.