The Uruguay Senate has announced it
will take up a gay marriage bill when it reconvenes on April 2.
Senator Luis Rosadilla of the ruling
Frente Amplio party confirmed that the bill will be debated in the
upcoming session, Spanish news agency EFE
reported.
The “Marriage Equality Law” seeks
to modify some 20 articles of the Civil Code, including whose surname
goes first when children are named.
The bill cleared the nation's lower
house in December and President Jose Mujica has expressed support for
it.
After passage in the House, Senate
leaders agreed to postpone debate on the issue following an outcry
from opponents who said they needed more time to study the proposal's
text.
The measure has already received an
initial nod in the Senate.
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 the 12th nation to legalize such
unions. In South America, only Argentina has extended marriage to
gay couples. But inroads are being made in several other countries,
including Mexico and Brazil. Colombia
is currently debating the issue.