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 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)