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(Stockholm) The Swedish government will consider
next year whether to abolish its civil partnership law and replace it with full
marriage.
The civil partnership law was enacted in 1995 and
gives most of the rights and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples who
register. But the country's LGBT community has recently stepped up lobbying to
have the law amended to permit gays and lesbians to marry.
A parliamentary committee studying the issue
calls civil partnerships outdated and is recommending Parliament allow same-sex
marriage. It also would allow gay couples to marry in churches.
A report issued by the committee on Friday notes
that a recent public opinion poll showed that 46 percent of Swedes are
supportive of gay marriage, while 31 percent are opposed. The remainder were
undecided.
A second survey, done for the committee found
that 84 percent of Swedes believe religious bodies
should be able to decide if they wanted to perform gay marriages.
Not all parliamentarians agree with the committee
recommendations.
“Less than half o the people support homosexual marriage and you still want to
carry it out,”
Christian Democrat Yvonne Andersson, told the committee. “I am disappointed that the report is so nonchalant
about the opinion.”
The head of LGBT rights group Riks-Ekho welcomed
the recommendations.
"Those of us who have entered a civil union would have chosen to marry if the
opportunity had existed,” Arthur Thiery told Swedish broadcaster SVT.
“The important thing
for us is that marriage in church is upheld. We don’t want to do away with the
church ceremony.”
The largest denomination in Sweden is Church of
Sweden. A majority of priests back church weddings for same-sex couples,
but about 10 percent of the faith's priests have signed a document urging
Parliament not to amend the law.
Last year the church's governing body, the Church
Assembly, voted 160 - 81 to allow its churches to conduct blessing services for
gay couples who have already entered into civil unions.
Currently only the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain,
Canada and the US state of Massachusetts allow same-sex couples to wed. South
Africa's highest court has given the government until December to legalize gay
marriage there.
©365Gay.com 2006
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