The Chilean Senate on Wednesday
approved a bill which seeks to recognize gay and lesbian couples with
civil unions, less than a week after it cleared the House of
Representatives.
President Michelle Bachelet, who
endorsed marriage equality during her campaign, is expected to sign
the bill into law.
According to CNN
Chile, the measure cleared the chamber with a 25-6 vote, with 3
abstentions.
“The civil union is a fundamental
institution for those couples that live together without being
married,” Government Secretary Alvaro Elizalde said. “It is a
judicial tool that does not discriminate, and applied to all types of
couples. Most importantly, it allows us to recognize different
family types and protect them all.”
Rolando Jimenez, president of the LGBT
rights group Movilh, applauded passage: “There's been a profound
cultural change in Chilean society which is reflected in [the fact
that] a majority of people disapprove of discrimination based on
someone's sexual orientation or their gender identity.”
The bill was first introduced in 2011
by former President Sebastián
Piñera, but went nowhere
until Bachelet took over. Lawmakers rallied behind civil unions in
an attempt to cut off an expected marriage debate. During a CNN
Chile appearance, Senator Ivan Moreira (UDI) called civil unions
a “lesser evil.”
Last month, Congressman Gabriel Silber
Romo introduced a bill which seeks to make Chile the fourth South
American nation after Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina to legalize
marriage for gay couples. In introducing his bill, Silber said that
securing final approval in parliament of civil unions legislation
remained a priority.