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Colour me surprised
Oct. 1st, 2004 10:39 pm>Spain legalises gay marriages, sparks Church anger<
MADRID (AFP) - The Spanish government approved a bill to legalise homosexual marriages, which will make it only the third country in Europe to condone same-sex marriages -- but the move sparked fury within a still influential Roman Catholic Church.
The plan, which will also give gay couples the right to adopt, "recognises all rights for homosexuals, when it comes to qualifying for a pension, administering an estate, asking for a loan, authorising surgery for a partner but also to adopt a child," cabinet spokeswoman Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said.
Spain "is in the forefront of Europe and of the world in the struggle against centuries of discrimination," de la Vega said, adding that about four million of Spain's 40 million inhabitants, or 10 percent were homosexual.
To date, gay marriages are only legal in Europe in Belgium and the Netherlands -- though only the Netherlands allows gay couples to adopt. Similar unions are legal in six Canadian provinces and the US state of Massachusetts.
Spain is really Catholic, so this is a bit of a surprise - but hey, way to go Spain!
MADRID (AFP) - The Spanish government approved a bill to legalise homosexual marriages, which will make it only the third country in Europe to condone same-sex marriages -- but the move sparked fury within a still influential Roman Catholic Church.
The plan, which will also give gay couples the right to adopt, "recognises all rights for homosexuals, when it comes to qualifying for a pension, administering an estate, asking for a loan, authorising surgery for a partner but also to adopt a child," cabinet spokeswoman Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said.
Spain "is in the forefront of Europe and of the world in the struggle against centuries of discrimination," de la Vega said, adding that about four million of Spain's 40 million inhabitants, or 10 percent were homosexual.
To date, gay marriages are only legal in Europe in Belgium and the Netherlands -- though only the Netherlands allows gay couples to adopt. Similar unions are legal in six Canadian provinces and the US state of Massachusetts.
Spain is really Catholic, so this is a bit of a surprise - but hey, way to go Spain!