Saturday 17 April 2010

Equality in Argentina

Argentina Lower House to Debate Equality Bill

While the courts of Argentina continue to bat back and forth the legality of same sex marriage, the question of adoption and marriage equality is about to be taken seriously in the Argentinian parliament. A rather confusing report from Buenoe Aires Herald has a headline that refers to a gay "adoption" bill, while the text refers to a "marriage" bill. I suspect the truth is that this is best thought of as an equality bill, which will guarantee both marriage and adoption rights, and by providing for legal protection of our families, will directly protect the children.  

(UPDATE: It is now clear from brief references in other reports that the bill which has been proposed covers both marriage and adoption. The proposed bill has been cleared by the relevant judicial committee for introduction to the parliamentary lower house.)

From Buenos Aires Herald:

Lawmaker Vilma Ibarra said the Lower House is ready to "debate equality" and prove "there's no sense in stripping certain citizens of their rights because of their sexual orientation." She also stressed that "there's gay couples who are currently already adopting."
"The Gay Marriage bill doesn't intend to debate homosexuality, but equality, since Argentina is a constitutional state in which everyone is equal under the law," she explained.
Ibarra said that "we live in a plural society. Everyone gets to choose how to live and who to share their lives with, their religion and the state must inject plurality into the Argentine society and makes all equal."
The lawmaker explained that the current Adoption Bill allows for heterosexual couples and single parents to adopt, hence there's already many gay men and women who have adopted children.
"Homosexual people adopt children all the time, we're not changing anything, only regulating something that already exists. When gay parents decide to adopt, only one person signs up as foster parent, but both of them raise their child," she stressed.






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