The Uruguay Senate (Camara de
Senadores) on Wednesday agreed to postpone a vote on a gay marriage
bill.
According to the AFP, the Senate, which
is currently in parliamentary recess, held a special session to
discuss a dozen bills, including one which states that “marriage is
the permanent union between two persons of the same or opposite sex.”
The “Marriage Equality Law” seeks
to modify some 20 articles of the Civil Code, including whose surname
goes first when children are named.
Opponents asked for the bill's vote to
be postponed until the Senate's first meeting in April to allow more
time to study the proposal. The request received unanimous approval.
The bill has already received an
initial nod in the Senate and it cleared the nation's lower house
earlier this month. President Jose Mujica has said he'll sign the
bill into law.
Uruguay currently recognizes gay
couples with civil unions. After a couple has lived in a “stable
relationship” for 5 years, they may petition the government for the
recognition.
If the marriage law is approved,
Uruguay would become only the second South American country after
Argentina to legalize marriage equality.
(Related: Mexican
state Oaxaca to legalize gay marriage.)