Sweden to review whether to allow gay marriage

Sweden's government said Thursday it will appoint a committee to determine whether same-sex couples should be allowed to get married. The committee, led by an independent investigator who will be named later this spring, will file a report later this year on whether a 1995 law allowing civil unions for same-sex couples--but not marriage--should be changed, said Linda Romanus, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department. "This is a question that's been widely debated lately," Romanus said. "Therefore both the government and the parliament wanted to review this." The report will outline whether gay marriage should be allowed and, if so, whether the same laws should apply as for opposite-sex marriages, Romanus said. No date has been set for when the report will be presented, she said.