Adriano wants marriage initiative junked
Senate President Joaquin Adriano has a short answer to the initiative that would limit marriage in the CNMI to heterosexual couples only: Recall the bill.
Adriano said he opposes the passage of House Legislative Initiative 14-003, saying there is a need to further study the issue, particularly on how the proposal would affect several civil rights provided under the U.S. and CNMI Constitution.
“I am opposed to that bill. Why not let these couples get married with anyone they want to? I think the best way to deal with this issue is just to recall the bill and recommend it for further study,” said the Senate president.
According to Adriano, it would be best to just let each church make that decision whether they want to perform the marriage ceremony or not for same-sex couples.
“Why deny these people their right to get married? The only question is whether religious groups would deny them the ceremony. The Legislature can do it under existing statutes and, if the Legislature is stripped of this power, who else will?” Adriano said.
House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, who introduced the proposed initiative, wants to restrict the conduct of marriage to between people of opposite sexes by amending Section 5 of Article II of the CNMI Constitution, adding a new subsection that would limit legislative authority in enacting laws relating to marriage.
Adriano said the community has been raising concerns over the proposal, questioning the need for such a restrictive initiative.
On Tuesday, House Committee on Judicial and Governmental Operations chair Jesus Lizama held a public hearing to give opportunity to the community to speak their minds about the proposed measure.
Supporters and opponents of the measure trooped to the Legislature 1:30pm Tuesday to hear both sides of the community. But as CNMI Bar Association president Sean Frink pointed out, the public hearing was not well represented by the cross-section of the community.
“There are more people out there who are opposed to this bill. There are more than what we have here. This is such a small crowd and a tame one compared to what is happening in the U.S. mainland,” said Frink.
