PANAMA CITY — The country of Panama has enacted new laws to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman, despite efforts to redefine the institution in other countries.
The new norms, approved in March of 2013 and published in Panama's Official Gazette on May 8 of this year, are intended to shore up existing Panamanian legislation regarding the family and establish the jurisdiction of the courts in international cases.
Article 40 of the new norms expressly states that “marriage between individuals of the same sex shall be prohibited.”
It also states that “foreign law shall not apply when it is contrary to Panamanian public order.”
In statements to EWTN News on May 14, Tatiana Alvarez of the Life and Family Foundation said the new laws “establish the protection of the Panamanian family.”
They also “reaffirm the sovereignty of our country,” she added. “Same-sex persons who marry outside the country will not be allowed to demand rights for that union because the concept of ‘gay marriage’ does not exist in Panama.”