France gives nod to gay marriage law
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E-mail Xinhua, February 13, 2013
France's lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, on Tuesday adopted a bill that would allow same-sex marriage and grant gay couples the right to adopt children, amid strong opposition of the Roman Catholic church and rightists.
After 10 days of discussion, 329 deputies voted for the bill while 229 wanted to block the Socialists' main social reform.
"This is a great victory for equality. The new bill will help thousands of children who are raised in gay families. This is a big step forward for the whole French society," French Minister for Family Dominique Bertinoti said.
In November 2012, the government gave the green light for same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.
During his election campaign, French President Francois Hollande promised the legislation would be endorsed by mid-2013, a pledge that sparked massive protests across the country where several sections of society expressed their refusal to legalize same-sex marriage and to allow adoption for same-sex couples.
The draft law will be presented to the Senate on April 2.
European countries such as Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden currently allow gay marriage and gay couples to adopt.
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