Same-sex couples cannot ‘consummate’ a marriage
Are same-sex couples capable of contracting a civil marriage? The answer is no. For a civil marriage to be valid, a number of requirements have to be fulfilled, the most essential being consummation of the marriage. Same-sex couples lack the necessary physical equipment to do so. We are being asked to insert a provision into the Constitution to allow marriages that are ‘ab initio’ invalid. The Government has a duty to explain to the electorate how they propose to deal with this matter if the vote is ‘yes’.
