France’s National Assembly Backs Gay Marriage

The French National Assembly has approved a law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry and adopt children.

The approval by the Assembly comes after days of intense debate and months of debate within French society as a whole. The proposals to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry – ala France’s neighbours such as Belgium and Spain – have caused a split in the country down political lines; those on the left tend to be supportive while those on the right tend to be opposed.

Demonstrations in favour and against gay marriage have been held in recent weeks with hundreds of thousands attending on both sides of the divide. The marriage bill was backed by France’s socialist President Francois Hollande and other left-wing MPs further demonstrate the nature of the political spilt on the issue. Mr. Hollande made it an election promise to introduce same-sex marriage to France if he won but opposition to the proposals proved tougher than he expected.

According to reports the bill was approved by the National Assembly with 329 votes in favour and 229 votes opposing. However, the “Marriage for All” bill must still get the final approval of the French Senate. At the moment though the consensus is the bill will easily pass through the Senate which is dominated by the socialists and their allies and could become law by as early as May or June.

Opinion polls in France indicate that around 60% of the population support gay marriage.