Antidiscrimination bill withdrawn from Parliament

The Government withdrew the draft law on the prevention and combating of discrimination from Parliament, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Though the bill is aimed at strengthening the existent norms on non-discrimination and at creating a viable mechanism for implanting the related legislation, we have to withdraw it from Parliament” said Minster of Justice Alexandru Tanase. He said that this bill aroused controversy. “The issue of discrimination is a sensitive one. Therefore, we will additionally examine the given bill so as to identify the best formulas,” the minister stated. The Nondiscrimination Coalition expressed its support and encouraged the authorities to continue the efforts aimed at adopting the law on the prevention and combating of discrimination, while the Association for Family Protection, which consists of a number of NGOs and representatives of the Church, demanded that the legalities body reject it. According to the Nondiscrimination Coalition, in the proposed form the law protects the rights of the persons who form part of different social groups and who are often discriminated in Moldova. On the other hand, the Association for Family Protection considers that the rights of the sexual minorities guaranteed by this law seriously affects the principles of family life and the Christian norms of morality.