|
The Parliament of Norway passed a common marriage law on Wednesday that will allow same-sex couples to get married. The law was welcomed with applause and cheers from the public gallery. However at the same time peaceful protests were also staged outside the parliament earlier on Wednesday over the proposed change.
Gunn Karin Gjul, a member of the parliamentary committee on family affairs remarked it’s a historic day for the people of Norway. The Labour Party member further compared the bill to ‘universal suffrage and the gender equality law’. Opposition Christian Democrats and populist Progress Party however criticized the amended marriage law and voted against it. Members of both the opposing parties said they especially counter the legislation giving lesbian couples the same access to 'medically assisted reproduction' as heterosexual couples.
The amended marriage law will also allow but not oblige the Church of Norway and other registered religious communities to bless the same-sex couples. The Ministry of Children and Equality revealed that the same-sex couples who have registered the partnership can also convert into marriage. The bill has also relaxed the adoption norms for such couples. Dagfinn Hoybraten, Christian Democrat leader however called the bill a big experiment and added that while his party rejected discrimination against homosexuals, it wanted to protect the rights of children. Critics suggest that children conceived with artificial insemination, risk not knowing their biological parents, which could violate the United Nations Children Convention.
