CONSTITUTIONAL HEARING ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY GIVES BOTH SIDES A VOICE|同性婚釋憲案 憲法法庭言詞辯論

The Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san was under fire as the constitutional court heard a landmark case on marriage equality. Chiu described same-sex relationships as a "newly invented phenomenon" and suggested it contradicted the social norm that our nation has formed over the past 1ooo years. Many believe Chiu's remarks represented the government's attitude while Premier Lin Chuan said that the minister did not represent the Executive Yuan. Equal marriage activist Chi Chia-wei, wearing rainbow colors, was one of the first publicly gay men in Taiwan. Chi appeared at the Constitutional Court to take part in the hearing on the case he has brought, that marriage as it appears in the current civil code is unconstitutional, as it renders the LGBTQ community unequal in the constitution. In the hearing, he said that he had waited for this day in court for 41 years six months and 24 days. He felt the civil code was discriminatory and hoped that the judges would give a verdict to allow the right people to do the right thing. ==CHI CHIA-WEI appellant== From simple philosophy, it can be judged, current medical opinion is that homosexuality is normal and is right, marriage is also normal and right so that the right people should be able to do the right thing, why is it not possible? Not only Chi, but many other same-sex couples have applied to Taipei City government to register their marriages. The Taipei City government representative stressed at the constitutional court hearing that it could find no reason to deny marriage registration to same-sex couples. ==LIAO YUAN HAO Taipei City Govt. representative== In a constitutional system that guarantees human rights, from this point of view, we can find no reason to deny marriage to same-sex couples. During the hearing, Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san emphasised that in the civil code marriage was designated between a man and a woman and this did not violate equality enshrined in the constitution, thus he did not support any amendment. He felt that any hasty changes to the constitution would negatively impact social order. ==CHIU TAI-SAN Justice Minister == In the future what will we put on ancestral tablets if there are same-sex marriages if both are husbands or both are wives? The constitutional court invited experts and academics to give their opinions. NCCU law department professor Liu Hung-en felt that now children can take both the father's or mother's surnames, which shows that change of traditional customs does not prevent changes to the constitution. ==LIU HUNG-EN Professor, NCCU Law Department == The effect on our culture, traditions, ethics and life can be seen from past examples. Children can now choose to use their mother's or father's surnames. When this was proposed by the constitutional court, people worried about the effects that a change to a 1,000-year-old custom would have on our culture, traditions, ethics and life, but this did not have any of the imagined impacts on our society. Others were of the opinion that there should be no hurry to decide amendments to the constitution. As there were advocates both for and against the change, there were many verbal clashes. The judges should give their verdict within two months. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 國內首起同婚釋憲案，大法官憲法法庭今天開庭進行言詞辯論，聲請人祁家威表示，為了這一天，他等了41年6個月又24天，他表示同性戀是對的事、婚姻也是對的事，對的人為什麼不能去做對的事？不過法務部長邱太三強調，民法定義婚姻，是由一男一女組成並不違憲，表明不支持，貿然修改民法。整個言詞辯論結束後，大法官最快在兩個月內，做出是否合憲的解釋。 身披著彩虹旗現身的祈家威，是台灣首位出櫃的男同志，已經滿頭白髮的他，一早來到司法院，要參加憲法法庭開庭，法庭將針對他所提的同婚釋憲案、進行言詞辯論，他說開庭這一天，等了41年6個月又24天，並認為民法不容許同性婚姻違憲，希望經過大法官審理，讓他們這些對的人，可以做對的事。 ==聲請人 祁家威== 要從最簡單的法哲學 來省思判斷 目前在醫學上 同性戀是正常的人 也是對的人 婚姻是正常的事 也是對的事 對的人要去做對的事 為什麼是不可以 不只祈家威，也有多對同性伴侶，向台北市政府要求登記結婚，北市府因此聲請釋憲，在今天併案審理，代理人強調，實在找不到理由拒絕同志結婚。 ==台北市府代理人 廖元豪== 而我們一個 保障人民權利的憲法制度 保障人民權利的一套體系 當然從這個角度來看 我們找不到任何的理由 拒絕同志的加入 在言詞辯論過程中，法務部長邱太三強調，民法定義由一男一女組成婚姻，並不違憲，他認為在社會還沒有共識下貿然修法，會衝擊社會秩序。 ==法務部長 邱太三== 這將來 如果是牌位 祖先的牌位 如果是同性婚姻的時候 是兩個都考考 還是妣妣 而大法官會議，也邀請專家學者擔任鑑定人、表達意見，而面對法務部提出同婚可能衝擊傳統習俗，鑑定人、政大法律系副教授劉宏恩則認為，子女現在可以從父姓，也可以從母姓，代表傳統習俗不是不能修法改變的。 ==政大法律系副教授 劉宏恩== 對於我們的文化 傳統 倫理 生活上面的影響 但是我們從過往這一個包括 子女現在可以自由選擇從父姓 從母姓的這樣一個 大法官解釋之後的一個立法修正 大家所擔憂的 這個千年傳統的一個 對我們文化生活倫理上面的影響 並沒有對我們社會 造成想像中的衝擊 但也有鑑定人傾向，不應該匆匆決定是否修法。由於支持與反對互有主張，辯論過程多所交鋒，而今天整個言詞辯論結束後，大法官最快會在兩個月內，作出同婚是否合憲的解釋。 記者陳佳鑫 張梓嘉 陳昌維 台北報導