The Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg
on Wednesday approved a bill which seeks to allow gay and lesbian
couples to marry and adopt children in the European nation.
Only 4 out of 60 deputies voted against
the bill.
The vote came after conservative groups
failed in a last ditch attempt to force a referendum on the issue.
The group behind the petition, Schutz
fir d'Kand (Protector of the Child), said
it was opposed to marriage equality because it would “weaken
family ties, to the detriment of all.”
Gay couples are currently allowed to
marry in 8 European Union (EU) countries, including the Netherlands,
Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, France and the UK.
Luxembourg's openly gay prime minister,
Xavier Bettel, the leader of the Democratic Party, has previously
said he expects the nation will have marriage equality in 2014.