Australian prime minister says no to gay marriage

SYDNEY, Australia — Christian churches in Australia praised Prime Minister John Howard and Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson for publicly stating their opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriages. Howard told reporters that he will not support legislation that gives homosexual unions equal status as marriage. On Aug. 5, Howard said same-sex marriages were “gravely immoral.” Howard explained his statement saying that barring the unions wasn’t “an expression of discrimination, it is just an expression that marriage as we understand it is one of the bedrock institutions of our society. It is very much about the raising of children, the having of children and the continuation of our species.”  (TAB)