A law which recognizes gay and lesbian
couples with marriage is set to take effect in Uruguay on August 1.
The Uruguay parliament gave its final
approval to the measure last month. On Friday, President Jose
Mujica, whose ruling Broad Front majority backed the proposal, and
Ricardo Ehrlich, the nation's minister of education and culture,
promulgated the law with their signatures, Montevideo daily El
Pais reported.
The “Marriage Equality Law”
modifies some 20 articles of Uruguay's Civil Code, including whose
surname goes first when children are named.
Uruguay's Roman Catholic Church
vehemently objected to the reforms, saying they would “further
weaken marriage.”
Uruguay joins 13 nations which have
approved 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.
Last month, lawmakers in Colombia rejected a similar proposal.