European Citizens’ Initiative “Mum Dad & Kids” now open for signatures!

By J.C. von Krempach, J.D. | April 4, 2016

The citizens’ committee organizing the European Citizens’ Initiative “Mum Dad & Kids” has announced that the one-year-period during which statements of support can be collected for the initiative begins today and will therefore end on 3 April 2017.

The initiative requests the EU to adopt legislation similar to the US Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA), which has been struck down by the US Supreem Court in two highly controversial decisions, Windsor v. U.S. and Obergefell v. Hodges. However, with the U.S. Constitution not being of application in Europe and the SCOTUS having no jurisdiction there, the organizers of the initiative need not be concerned over this precedent. They request the EU to adopt legislation that, for the purposes of EU law, horizontally defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and the family as based on marriage and descent. The European Commission, in registering this Initiative, has implicitly recognized that it is fully compatible with the EU’s foundational treaties and fundamental values.

The awareness of, and opposition against, attempts by political and judicial elites to impose, without a lot of discussion, novel concepts of “marriage” and “family” is increasing in Europe. 16 European countries (among them eight EU Member States) have enacted constitutional provisions that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Recently this happened in Slovakia and Croatia, while a similar initiative was defeated only very narrowly in Switzerland. In Romania, nearly 3 million signatures supporting such a constitutional amendment have been collected within just nine weeks – an amazing feat in a country with 22 million inhabitants.

Readers who are EU citizens can sign the initiative online at:

www.mumdadandkids.eu

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