08 August 2007

The Changing Family by Clayton Mercieca (Times of Malta, August 8, 2007)


I refer to the letter Sexual Complementarity (July 31). From the letter I can presume that Jacqueline Calleja is of Caucasian race and of middle to upper class status, heterosexual, Catholic and possibly a married person - all the ingredients necessary for a person to face no racial, religious or sexual discrimination in Malta and furthermore be given social and political privileges.

It is a known fact that the traditional family that Ms Calleja portrays (married men and women with children borne in wedlock) is on the way to becoming a minority group. Some might see it as a negative thing because of all the secularisation that is taking place and the "breakdown of Christian values". However, this notion of the traditional family is putting extra pressure on groups who consider themselves as families but cannot be accepted culturally and socially by society at large. As a result, we are witnessing a breakdown of persons instead.

With her letter, Ms Calleja is not only discriminating against homosexuals, but also unmarried parents, single mothers and fathers, children out of wedlock, separated spouses, families of other religions and ethnicities, and so forth. This strict view of how a family should be and how children should be conceived because the teachings of the Catholic Church say so, is making the above mentioned people's lives a daily struggle because of the stigma they carry.

I therefore suggest to Ms Calleja and those who share her same views to re-examine their reasoning when it comes to preaching the Church's teachings and reflect a bit on what is really important - whether to follow word for word and burn at the stake those who do not fit into that box or challenge our views to widen and appreciate the diverse situations and peoples that exist so that we can live in a society which fosters acceptance and promotes equal opportunities for all. In the end, we all need each other.

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