Written declaration No. 486 | Doc. 12670 | 24 June 2011

Personhood, Sexuality and Reproduction

Signatories: Mr Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Rossana BOLDI, Italy, EDG ; Mr Roberto Mario Sergio COMMERCIO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Gianpaolo DOZZO, Italy, EDG ; Mr Giuseppe GALATI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Marco GATTI, San Marino, EPP/CD ; Mr Ferenc KALMÁR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr László KOSZORÚS, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Edgar MAYER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Pasquale NESSA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Fritz NEUGEBAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Giacomo SANTINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Giuseppe SARO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Giacomo STUCCHI, Italy, EDG ; Ms Melinda SZÉKYNÉ SZTRÉMI, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Oreste TOFANI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Imre VEJKEY, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Luigi VITALI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Marco ZACCHERA, Italy, EDG

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

Human sexuality is an essential aspect of every person. It represents the source of life and the basis upon which generations evolve.

The expressions “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” have recently come into use. The theory of gender identity, opposed to biology, considers masculine and feminine distinctions as a social orientation, therefore additional genders can be created.

These variations produce a new gender terminology which is used in common and scientific language, although having no biological basis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, a U.S. federal agency for the protection of public health and safety, confirms that the personal and social costs of the varied lifestyles linked to sexuality should not be underestimated.

The dignity and the equality of rights accorded to everyone must be protected in any situation. Nonetheless, these principles cannot constitute a uniform juridical discipline when biological differences represent the precondition for a legal status, as in the case of marriage.

Policymakers must ensure that the rules they create are rooted in scientific evidence and avoid adopting policies which promote risky behaviour for individual health and for the society, simply because they are an expression of the so-called politically correct attitudes.