Czech Parliament approves bill on marriage for all during first reading
The Czech Parliament during a meeting. Photo EPA, Martin Divisek
Central Europe
Czech MPs have given the bill on marriage for same-sex couples a chance. Last week, they rejected a proposal to drop the bill altogether. At the same time, they voted in favour of keeping a proposal to enshrine the definition of marriage in the Constitution as a union between a man and a woman.
The bill on same-sex marriage will now be reviewed by members of the Constitutional and Legal Committee and the Family Commission, CT24 reports. Within four months, they will have to give their opinion.
The amendment of the Civil Code, which was sustained by the majority of the MPs, aims to give same-sex couples more rights. Same-sex couples would, for example, be entitled to the creation of joint property, to a widow's or widower's pension, and both get rights and obligations to the children they possibly raise. In addition, the term "registered partnerships" would disappear.
At the same time, the union between spouses of the same sex would not necessarily be defined as marriage Idnes writes. Pekarová Adamová, the head of the House of Representatives, said that that option is still open. At the same time, she believes that the term "registered partnerships" is undignified. "They are registered as automobiles now", she illustrated.
Constitution
During the same meeting, the Czech Parliament voted in favour of keeping a proposal to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in the Constitution. "Let's enable rights, but let's not touch traditions", legislator Marek Novák said.
"Marriage as a union of a man and a woman lasts thousands of years", Aleš Dufek, leader of the Christian Democratic party, agreed.
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