Skip to main content

Germany legalises same sex marriage


German politicians have voted to legalise same-sex marriage. A total of 393 politicians voted to legalising "marriage for everybody", while 226 voted against and four abstained from voting.

The snap vote took place today, only days after Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel changed her mind to allow a free vote.



Ms Merkel, has always been against same-sex marriage, but she allowed for the vote after sayingon Monday that politicians could take up the issue as a "question of conscience". As expected, she voted against the bill citing concerns over the welfare of children.

Members of Ms Merkel's conservative coalition were given the freedom to individually vote for their choice rather than follow party lines. The Chancellor said though she voted against legalising gay marriage, she hoped Parliament's approval of the measure would lead to more social cohesion.

She said: "For me, marriage in the basic law is marriage between a man and a woman and that is why I did not vote in favour of this bill today."

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but same-sex marriages had remained illegal. All of Ms Merkel's potential coalition partners after the September 4election have been calling for the legalisation of same-sex marriage. However, her traditional Catholic conservative bloc was not happy when she announced that she would allow politicians to vote on same-sex marriage according to their individual conscience drew the ire of some in her traditionally Catholic conservative bloc.

The "marriage for all" bill will grant gay and lesbian couples full marital rights and allows them to adopt children. It will likely be signed into law by the President some time after July 7.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Motorcylist killed in a Fatal accident at Chevron roundabout, Lekki

A motorcyclist lost his life this afternoon in a fatal accident at Chevron Roundabout just by the Lekki Conservation Center. A tipper driver who reportedly caused the accident attempted to run but was apprehended and beaten up. He has been handed over to the police...  

Photos/Video: Osinbajo visits Garki market in Abuja, meets and interacts with traders

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo today paid a surprise visit to the Garki market in Abuja. There he interacted with the traders in the market. Watch the video and see more photos after the cut.. I just stopped by at theGarki market, Abuja. This lady and I discussed some of the issues she faces in the sale of fish at the local market pic.twitter.com/5KV8Ninmo8 — Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) May 26, 2017

Pretty hairstylist uses her mugshot to promote her braiding business online (Photos)

A pretty hair stylist who got arrested for violating a domestic protective order, is on the verge of making more profits after her mugshot went viral because of her 'amazing' hairstyle. Shia Milan Yearwood, 23, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested on January 3 and her mugshot was on Twitter by the account @CharlotteMugs.  After the hairstyle started generating attention on social media, Shia decided to use the golden opportunity to boost her business and reach out to her prospective customers. Shia retweeted the picture, including the hashtag '#BraidByShia and wrote 'Can't hold me back either.' Speaking to BET, Shia explained her motivation: 'I was just simply showing people that I had nothing to be ashamed about. I thought I looked good and I thought my braids looked amazing — they were literally done two hours prior to the mugshot.' 'At first, I was a little embarrassed that it was getting attention because I didn't w...