Belgian
parliament approves equal adoption rights for gay couples

Gay rights activists on Friday welcomed a vote by the Belgian chamber of representatives granting gay couples equal rights in adoption. Lawmakers voted 77-62 Thursday night in favor of the bill, which now goes to senate for final approval, likely in March. "Gay parenthood is already a reality. We just want to give it the correct legal framework. With the vote last night, we've come a step closer," Mieke Stessens of Belgium's Gay Federation told VRT news. However, Stessens said she feared a number of senators would try and delay the implementation of the bill. Socialist, Liberal, and Green parliamentarians voted mostly in favor of the bill, while Christian Democrats and the far-right Flemish Interest party voted against. If the law is adopted by the senate, Belgium will become the fourth European Union member state allowing same-sex couples equal rights in adoption, after Spain, the Netherlands, and Sweden. (AP)