Off the wire
• Congenital heart disease screening reduces infant deaths: study  • Tanzanian army hosts joint forces training for EAC states  • Angola to create protected marine areas to preserve fishery resources  • Spotlight: Survey data point to British economic growth inching upwards  • Spotlight: Turkey and Russia on chessboard for a play on Syrian Kurds issue: analysts  • Greek islanders protest in Athens against overcrowding refugee camps  • Total pledges to support Tanzania in oil exploration in 4 lakes  • Urgent: At least 20 people injured in train collision in western Germany  • Albania strikes new deal with SHELL Company on Block 4: official  • Poland to give 50 mln euros to support countries affected by migration crisis  
You are here: 　

Austria to allow same-sex marriage from 2019

Xinhua,December 06, 2017 Adjust font size:

VIENNA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Austria's Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday that same-sex marriage will be allowed beginning in 2019, lifting existing restrictions on the basis that they were discriminatory.

The court process had been prompted by a complaint from two women who had been living in a civil partnership and made an application to be able to marry, but were not allowed to do so.

In a statement made in light of its decision, the court said that "the distinction between marriage and civil partnerships can no longer be maintained without discriminating against same-sex couples."

Civil partnership has been legal since 2010, and has since shifted closer to the existing definition of marriage. Under the new law, they will be allowed for both same-sex and straight couples. Enditem

 

Related News & Photos