The Socialist government of French
President Francois Hollande will introduce a gay marriage bill in
October.
“In October, we will send a bill to
the National Assembly and the Senate to allow same-sex couples to
marry,” French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Socialist
Party members at their annual gathering. “It would also allow them
to form families and adopt children.”
Socialists won control of both houses
of Parliament in June, just weeks after Hollande was elected to lead
the nation. The Hollande administration has since reiterated that it
is committed to implementing Hollande's campaign pledge to legalize
gay nuptials and open up adoption to gay couples.
Two weeks ago, the Catholic church
showed its opposition to the plan by asking churchgoers to pray for
“newly elected officials” to put their “sense of common good
over pressure to meet special demands.” It also asked that
“children cease to be objects of the desires and conflicts of
adults and fully benefit from the love of a father and mother.”
A majority of French people support gay
marriage, according to several polls.
Currently, France recognizes gay
couples with PACS, a form of domestic partnership which offers
significantly fewer protections for gay couples than marriage.
(Source: The
Wall Street Journal.)