A group of senators have proposed
reforms which would allow gay couples to marry throughout Mexico.
Much like the United States, Mexican
states individually decide on marriage. Mexico City in 2009 became
the nation's first, and so far only, municipality to legislatively
approve marriage equality. Mexico's highest court declared the law
constitutional and ordered all states to recognize the legal
marriages of gay couples. However, only a handful of states have
moved on the issue. Some, under court order, have allowed marriage,
while others have adopted civil unions.
Under the proposal, Mexico's Federal
Civil Code would establish marriage as “the free union of two
people” and state legislatures would have to adapt their laws to
“regulate the institution of marriage based on the principles,
human rights and individual guarantees provided in the Constitution,”
CNN
Mexico reported.
Jorge Luis Preciado, the leader of
Mexico's right-wing National Action Party (Partido Accion
Nacional, PAN) in the Senate, told CNN Mexico that his party will
review the proposal but expects a “no” vote.
PAN is one of Mexico's three main
political parties.
(Related: Majority
of Mexicans support gay marriage.)
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this
story stated that President Enrique Pena Nieto is a member of PAN.
He is not. We regret this mistake.