Spanish government approves Gay marriage

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3706414.stm



Spain poised to boost gay rights


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40118000/jpg/_40118662_marriage_story_ap.jpg A few other European countries allow same-sex unions

The Spanish government is expected to approve a draft law on Friday which will legalise gay marriages.

The bill gives same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to adopt children.

The Roman Catholic Church and conservative opposition have fiercely opposed the move, which opinion polls suggest has the public's support.

If the bill is approved by parliament, it will make Spain the third EU country to authorise gay marriages.

The government says it expects homosexuals to be able to marry as early as next year.

It estimates around 10% of Spaniards are gay and around four million people will benefit from the new law.

Under the bill, married gay couples will also be entitled to draw a pension after a partner's death and to divorce.


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Gay rights bill tests Spain (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3706106.stm)



Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar told RNE state radio: "Our constitution guarantees the right to marriage... We're going to extend that right to people who historically have been discriminated against: homosexuals."

Church leaders compared the plans to releasing a virus into society and called on politicians to reject them.

But gay-rights activist Nacho Morales says Spain's gay community is not concerned.

"We went out to the streets every year to say what we want, so if they don't want this law they can say that - but we have our rights," he said.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took office in April, intending to remove what he called the Church's undeniable advantages and create a secular state with streamlined divorce and relaxations in abortion law. The Church's influence on Spaniards has declined precipitously since the death in 1975 of the dictator General Francisco Franco. His regime was closely linked to the Church. Opinion polls suggest that nearly half of Spaniards now almost never go to mass.


The adoption part of the bill will only allow gay couples to adopt Spanish children, to avoid any legal wrangles with other countries.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif It's necessary to eradicate centuries-old discrimination http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif


Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
Spanish Prime Minister
__________________________
Marriage will include other rights such as adoption, right to get the pension if something happens to partner and so on

Yay another step towards equality.
Go homos. :woohoo:

wow that rocks. i could move to spain. :lol:

Welcome to the club of open minded countries, Spain :D

:woohoo: go spain! :yeah:

:worship: Ya ves que había una buena razón para aprender castellano... :worship:

(so there was indeed a good reason to learn Spanish...)

Nice to hear something sensible and progressive for a change.

Is Spain the third country where gays can marry?

The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain.

Spain's the third European country where they can marry. I believe Canada allows gay marriage as well.

Go Spain!!! :woohoo: ;)

Yay! what great news! :umbrella: no wonder I chose Spain as my vacationing spot. :hatoff:


..and a big ---> :ras: at the Catholic Church.:lol: They are probably wounded :timebomb:

Excellent news! I wish the narrowminded bigots of America would follow suit but I'm definitately not holding my breath.

:yeah:

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3706414.stm
Spain approves gay marriage bill


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40118000/jpg/_40118662_marriage_story_ap.jpg The Netherlands and Belgium allow same-sex marriages

The Spanish government has approved a draft law which will legalise homosexual marriages.

The bill gives same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to adopt children.

The Roman Catholic Church and conservative opposition have fiercely opposed the move, which opinion polls suggest has the public's support.

If the bill is approved by parliament, it will make Spain the third EU country to authorise gay marriages.

The government, which estimates around 10% of Spaniards are gay, says it expects homosexuals to be able to marry as early as next year.

The issue of adoption further fuelled the controversy, stiffening opposition from the church.

Institution

After the vote, the Spanish Bishops' Conference issued a statement saying the cabinet's decision was "wrong and unjust".

"A married couple, producing and educating their children, contributes in an irreplaceable way to the growth and stability of society," the bishops said, adding that a homosexual couple "could never have such characteristics".




Gay rights bill tests Spain

They said gay people's rights as citizens should not be discriminated against, but insisted social institutions had to be protected.

"Marriage is essentially a heterosexual institution," they said.

But Cabinet spokeswoman Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said thousands of children lived with homosexual parents and numerous studies had shown that they were no different to children brought up in heterosexual homes.

"There is no proof that homosexual parents educate their children any worse. In adoption, the well-being of the children comes first, independent of the sexual orientation of the parents," she said.

The Christian Association of Gays and Lesbians welcomed the cabinet's decision.

Respect

Gwenael Le Moing, of the association, said that the law would help the normalisation of homosexuality in society - "although there was still a lot of work to do".

"It also leaves the church more and more isolated in its discriminatory position."

The adoption part of the bill will allow gay couples to adopt only Spanish children, to avoid any legal wrangles with other countries. Under the bill, married gay couples will also be entitled to draw a pension after a partner's death and to divorce.

Church leaders had earlier compared the plans to releasing a virus into society and called on politicians to reject them.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took office in April, intending to remove what he called the Church's undeniable advantages and create a secular state with streamlined divorce and relaxations in abortion law.

Earlier this week he said: "I deeply respect the opinions of the Catholic Church even if they are very critical of the government. I ask them to show the same respect." The Church's influence on Spaniards has declined precipitously since the death in 1975 of the dictator General Francisco Franco. His regime was closely linked to the Church. Opinion polls suggest that nearly half of Spaniards now almost never go to mass.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif It also leaves the church more and more isolated in its discriminatory position http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif


Gwenael Le Moing,
Christian Association of Gays and Lesbians
______________________
The draft has been aproved, as expected today in the afternoon.
The only remaining issue will be the vote in the Congress, where PSOE and its alies have majority

....
I thought Spain was a strong Catholic country? Or atleast it used to be. Either that or they lied to me in history class :lol:

*brushing up on my spanish* Yo...:scratch: quiero...taco bell :yeah:

:worship: Ya ves que había una buena razón para aprender castellano... :worship:

(so there was indeed a good reason to learn Spanish...)
Demasiado liberal.... Casarse fue hecho para un hombre y una mujer... ademas viene del cristianismo antiguo... ademas homosexualismo no es natural....

Obviously the Spanish have some intelligent people in Govt making decisions.
People who understand that a gay person is not a second rate citizen and should not be denied access to anything based on sexual orientation.

As a gay man who has no real interest in getting married at this stage, as my relationship needs no such validation, it is a wonderful, positive step for those who do desire to marry.

I applaud the Spanish Govt for such a common-sense decision. Hopefully, once the inevitable nonsense dies down, other countries will see that it is not something to fear, that it is not the end of the world and that it is simply a long overdue ammendment.

Great news. Go Spain! :D

Excellent news.


Congratulations :clap2: :hug: :smooch: :umbrella:

:yeah:

:worship:

:worship: It's a good day for Spanish gays and Lesbians.

Great news! :rocker:

*brushing up on my spanish* Yo...:scratch: quiero...taco bell :yeah:
tacos r mexican fool :p

tacos r mexican fool :p
:lol:

Vamos Zapateroo!!!! :bounce: :bounce: :drool: :p

Demasiado liberal.... Casarse fue hecho para un hombre y una mujer... ademas viene del cristianismo antiguo... ademas homosexualismo no es natural....

Spare me.