In The Days

• Source: WSJ
• News Date: 7/15/10
• Author: MATT MOFFETT and TAOS TURNER
• Submitted By: Doug Warwick

Demonstrators rallied in favor of gay marriage this week in Buenos Aires ahead of Thursday’s vote.

Approval Marks Victory for President Over Catholic Opponents and Is First Nationwide Law of its Kind in Latin America

Days of both with scriptures from both

“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. ”
—Luk 17:26-30

Days of Noah

“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”
—Gen 6:11

Days of Lot

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
—Jude 1:7

BUENOS AIRES—In the early hours of Thursday morning, Argentina’s Senate narrowly approved a bill making Argentina the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage.

The 33-27 vote, with three abstentions, marks a victory for President Cristina Kirchner and her husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, over one of their chief antagonists, the Roman Catholic Church.

Mexico City’s legislature recently passed a law permitting gay marriage, though such a measure hasn’t been approved at a national level. Same-sex civil unions are allowed in Uruguay and in some Latin American cities, such as Buenos Aires. But by approving the national law guaranteeing full marriage rights to same-sex couples, Argentina becomes a pioneer in the region and one of a handful of countries in the world that have taken that step. The bill also allows same-sex couples to adopt children,

Buenos Aires has in recent years gained international fame for being a city that is friendly to gays. The capital has attracted increasing numbers of gay-themed cruise ships whose passengers explore the city’s growing offering of gay bars and hotels.

Mariel Fornoni, a pollster for the Management & Fit consultancy, said the conflict in Congress over the marriage measure was a test of strength for the Kirchners in the run-up to the October 2011 presidential election. She said it should help the Kirchners shore up their leftist base, as Mr. Kirchner prepares the groundwork for a second presidential bid. And the people who opposed the measure were unlikely to vote for a Kirchner anyway, analysts said. The lower house had passed the bill in May by a 125-109 vote.

Polls indicate that this overwhelmingly Catholic country is divided over equal rights for gay couples, with about half of the population favoring gay marriage, while a majority opposes adoption by gay couples.

The issue has divided political parties, which freed their members to vote according to their personal ethical or religious predilections instead of along traditional party lines.

Prior to the Congressional vote, Catholic and evangelical groups held street protests against the bill under the slogan: “We Want Mother and Father.” In a public letter to Catholics, Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio wrote: “This isn’t a mere legislative project, but a move by the Father of the Lie that seeks to confuse and fool the children of God.”

Ms. Kirchner rebutted Archbishop Bergoglio, saying, “It’s worrisome to hear phrases such as ‘war of God’ and ‘projects of the devil,’ which are things that send us back to medieval times and the Inquisition.”

In a display of how the Argentine debate has captured attention throughout the region, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, who came out of the closet in March, on Wednesday put out a message of support for the bill on his Twitter account. “Let’s go Argentina,” he wrote.