News
2007-06-22
Costa Rica
introduces civil union bill
Costa Rican
lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would
legalize same-sex civil unions. The legislation, which
is likely to
Costa Rican
lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would
legalize same-sex civil unions. The legislation, which
is likely to meet heavy opposition from the
country’s Roman Catholic Church, would grant
gay partners rights such as bereavement leave,
inheritance, and medical decision-making power,
Reuters reports.
"This is a bill
that guarantees the respect and tolerance for couples
that are of the same sex," bill cosponsor Andrea Morales, a
member of the main opposition Citizens Action Party,
said in the article.
Ana Helena Chacon
of the Social Christian Unity Party, the bill’s
author, admitted that the conservative nation may not
be ready for this measure. No member of Costa
Rica’s majority party, National Liberty Party, has
spoken in favor of the proposed legislation.
Costa Rica could
be the first Latin American nation to allow same-sex
unions. Columbia’s legislature had a civil union bill
that was passed by the house but rejected by the
senate on Wednesday.
Sen. Manuel
Virguez Piraquive, from a small party closely linked to an
evangelical Colombian church, called for a floor vote on the
bill.
Other
conservative lawmakers then helped defeat the bill
34–29 in the 102-member senate. Many supporters
were absent, according to the Associated Press.
The call for
individual votes was unusual, as Columbian parties usually
vote as blocs on the final versions of bills.
Sen. Armando
Benedetti, a sponsor of the bill, vowed to restart the
legislative process when Congress reconvenes on July 20, and
he criticized President Alvaro Uribe for not defending
the initiative more forcefully. (The Advocate)
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