Staunchly
Catholic Malta has legalized same-sex civil unions and has given gay couples
the right to adopt children. The vote comes nearly three years after the
Mediterranean island nation legalized divorce.
The Maltese
parliament legalized same-sex unions and gay adoption on Monday in a 37-0 vote,
signaling a major change in social policy for a conservative country where
Catholicism is the state religion.
"Malta
is now more liberal and more European, and it has given equality to all its
people," Labour Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.
The
opposition Nationalist Party abstained from the vote, saying that although it
supports civil unions, it has doubts about adoption rights for gay couples.
A crowd of
hundreds of people, gathered outside parliament in the capital Valletta,
cheered the passage of the law.
The
Catholic Church in Malta opposed the legislation. Bishop Charles Scicluna said
that although the proposal had some good points, it was not in the best
interests of children.
Although
traditionally a staunchly Catholic country, Malta has become more culturally
liberal in recent years. In 2011, the island nation legalized divorce in a
popular referendum.
slk/jm (AP, AFP, Reuters)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.