CHILE: President Sebastian Pinera meets with gay rights activists and presents civil union bill that would recognize both heterosexual and homosexual relationships

Record ID: 277528

  • Title: CHILE: President Sebastian Pinera meets with gay rights activists and presents civil union bill that would recognize both heterosexual and homosexual relationships
  • Date: 10th August 2011
  • Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (AUGUST 09, 2011) (REUTERS) CHILEAN PRESIDENT SEBASTIAN PINERA ENTERING HALL SIGN READING, 'LIFE PARTNER AGREEMENT' PINERA GREETING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PINERA SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CHILEAN PRESIDENT SEBASTIAN PINERA, SAYING: "In Chile today, there are approximately two million people living together with their partners. This means a million c
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2011 13:00
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  • Location: Chile, Chile
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: Politics,Religion,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAOXVUV06T1BL0ZLRVDYN83VNG
  • Story Text: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Tuesday (August 9) signed a bill that if approved by Congress would recognize both heterosexual and homosexual civil unions outside of marriage.
    Pinera, who says he is against gay marriage, said the legislation was needed to bring important social benefits to citizens in committed relationships that find themselves outside the fold of traditional marriage.
    "In Chile today, there are approximately two million people living together with their partners. This means a million couples who live the life of a couple without being married. And that is why it is important and the urgent to legalize these unions as we promised during our campaign and in our government plan to, quote, 'protect the rights to access to health care, foresight, inheritance, and other social benefits," Pinera said.
    If passed, the Life Partner Agreement (Acuerdo de Vida en Pareja), known by its Spanish acronym, AVP, would recognize relationships between consenting partners regardless of their sex who petition for the agreement at civil registries throughout the country.
    "This conviction that marriage by essence is the union between a man and a woman does not hinder me from recognizing that other types of relationships exist, including those between people of the same sex which are also respectable and valuable relationships. And therefore the state has the obligation, in my opinion, in the search for common good to recognize, protect and respect [these relationships]," Pinera said.
    The legal validation of such relationships would bind assets, protect inheritance and pension privileges for surviving partners, allow partners to share healthcare plans, and other benefits similar to those granted to married couples.
    The ceremony at the presidential palace in Santiago was attended by other government officials who have voiced support for the bill.
    Also at the ceremony were gay rights activists who said despite hurdles still to be overcome, the tabling of the president's bill represented an important victory for them.
    "This is an historic day for us. For the last 20 years we've been fighting for equality, for rights, against discrimination and we are very happy with this ceremony. We want the state to start to take on [this] fundamental human right for sexual minorities," said the president of the Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement, Rolando Jimenez.
    However, not everyone supports the bill.
    Opponents to same sex marriage demonstrated outside the presidential palace and warned that the bill was a step closer to fully legalizing gay marriage in the South American country with strong Catholic roots which only legalized divorce seven years ago.
    An evangelical preacher, Jose Lema, said civil union was marriage under a different guise.
    "It gets our absolute rejection and repudiation because [the president] is only looking to normalize sin. It is nothing more than homosexual marriage covered with other words. But all the transactions and legal effect say it is marriage even though it doesn't have that name," Lema said.
    Same sex marriage is recognized fully in ten countries worldwide, including Chile's Southern Cone neighbour, Argentina, which became the first Latin American country to allow gay and lesbian couples to legally wed in 2010.
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