France's Parliament legalized same-sex marriage and adoption on Tuesday following a divisive debate that had gone up into antigay attacks and street protests.
After both houses of Parliament had already passed President François Hollande's flagship social initiative, the National Assembly, in a second reading, approved a number of amendments and voted 331-225 in favor of the bill, allowing the way for it to become law.
The debate over same-sex marriage and adoption for gay couples had dragged on for almost six months and exposed deep divisions in France. Many opponents of the change—mainly conservatives and religious groups—argued that same-sex marriage and in particular adoption would effect badly to the value of the traditional family.
On the other side, some gay-rights groups complained that Mr. Hollande's bill didn't go far enough because it doesn't legalize medically assisted procreation for gay couples.
"We were surprised by the virulence of comments from some," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said after the vote. "We haven't taken anything from anyone, but we have recognized new rights for a minority."
 |
| Protest against the law |
Source: onlinewsj 4/24/2013
0 comments:
Post a Comment