News
2005-12-17
Austria lawmaker
proposes legalized partnerships for gay couples
Austria's justice
minister on Friday proposed the establishment of
"national partnerships" for gay and lesbian couples,
Austria's justice
minister on Friday proposed the establishment of
"national partnerships" for gay and lesbian couples, a bold
move in this predominantly Roman Catholic country that
has yet to legally recognize same-sex unions.
Justice Minister Karin Gastinger, a member of
the center-right Alliance for the Future of Austria,
told the Austria Press Agency in an interview that gay
and lesbian couples would be able to sign an agreement in
the presence of a notary.
Although the partnerships would fall short of
marriage, they would give gay couples the same rights
and obligations straight couples have under
Austrian law, Gastinger said. If a couple were to split,
the partners could discuss possible alimony arrangements,
she said. Same-sex couples also would be treated the
same in applying current laws dealing with rental
property and medical decisions under Gastinger's plan.
It was unclear whether Chancellor Wolfgang
Schuessel's conservative Austrian People's Party,
which shares power with the Alliance for the Future of
Austria in a coalition government, would support the
proposal. The People's Party has expressed reluctance
in the past to giving same-sex couples more rights, as
have some officials in Gastinger's Alliance. (AP)
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