Recommendation

This societal issue whether it be legalized or not will have a great impact on society.
Ethical theories help society in decision-making by providing a clear, unified account of what
our ethical obligations are (MacDonald & Marcoux, n.d.). These theories provide ethical
considerations as the foundation for directing and deciding the best course of action the society
should pursue, which will ultimately define its future. The same-sex civil union is mostly being
countered due to the fact that most people associate the word “civil union” with “marriage”
which makes it hard for a country with 79.50% of Roman Catholics (Gregorio, 2023) to
acknowledge same-sex civil union.

This paper suggests that the legalization of same-sex civil union is not possible because
our country is still predominantly Catholic and heavily relies on moral convictions which dates
back to the Spanish colonization. The way we observe religious holidays demonstrates how
many Filipinos are passionate believers in religion. The moral teachings of the church were used
to raise us, and it contributed to our development as we learned more about life in general. While
a lot has changed in the last few years, some issues, including same-sex civil unions continue to
be controversial among the clergy.

According to the University of the Philippines (Ochoa et al., 2016), it is possible that the
messaging of church leaders about the sanctity of marriage has a great impact on Filipino’s
attitudes toward same-sex civil unions. The ongoing discussion about one’s Sexual Orientation,
Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) might also be a factor
as to why Filipinos oppose the idea of same-sex civil union because a lot of Filipinos still
couldn’t fully grasp and establish the relevance and necessity of one’s SOGIESC. It is
challenging to give a decision its finality when one is unable to fully comprehend it.

The conversation surrounding the legalization of same-sex civil unions is influenced by

religion. The majority of people see marriage and civil unions as sacred bonds created for the
exclusive goal of reproduction, which is another factor contributing to the opposition to the issue.
How can same-sex couples reproduce is a question that was born out of this foundation. The
response to this query would thus indicate a lack of moral conviction, as religious leaders had
instructed us to reproduce. Although there are scientific ways this can be achieved by same-sex
couples, aside from the fact that this process is not yet widely accepted by the majority of the
population, the church also strongly believes in procreation as a natural process - through sexual
intercourse of a man to a woman.

The topic of the same-sex civil union has advanced far in our debate, and much has
changed since we first began. Many perspectives are being presented in an effort to reach a
consensus between the government, the clergy, and those who support same-sex civil unions.
There is still room for additional discussions about this subject. However, given the accustomed
principles that the majority of Filipinos are not comfortable changing, the same-sex civil union
will not prevail in the debate as it stands right now. But there is no such thing as moving
backward, only forward. With this, we believe that as we head towards a progressive future, we
will reach common ground on this matter where everyone will win the discourse.

References

Gregorio, X. (2023, February 22). Philippines still overwhelmingly Catholic |

Philstar.com. Philippine Star. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/02/22/2246855/philippines-still-

overwhelmingly-catholic

MacDonald, C., & Marcoux, A. (n.d.). Ethical Theory: Overview. The Concise

Encyclopedia of Business Ethics. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from

https://conciseencyclopedia.org/entries/ethical-theory/

Ochoa, D. P., Sio, C. P., Quiñones, D. M., & Manalastas, E. J. (2016). A Bond Between

Man and Woman: Religiosity, Moral Foundations, and Same-Sex Marriage Attitudes in

the Philippines. Pages. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from

https://pages.upd.edu.ph/sites/default/files/ejmanalastas/files/pjp1502_7_ochoa_et_al_co

py.pdf