- Title: FRANCE: French lawmakers debate gay marriage bill
- Date: 29th January 2013
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JANUARY 29, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN SESSION FRENCH JUSTICE MINISTER CHRISTIANE TAUBIRA ADDRESSING THE HOUSE VARIOUS OF DEPUTIES LISTENING PHOTOGRAPHERS PUBLIC, INCLUDING ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE ACTIVIST FRIGIDE BARJOT, LISTENING DEPUTY WITH FILE LISTENING BELL PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEM
- Embargoed: 13th February 2013 12:00
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- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAAJS6ST1D3X6V3NCG6OC30YBN4
- Story Text: French members of parliament began to debate a controversial bill awarding marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples on Tuesday (January 29).
The bill which honours a socialist manifesto pledge has proved divisive, bringing hundreds of thousands onto the streets of Paris in recent weeks to demonstrate for and against the proposals.
Before the session, Speaker of the National Assembly Claude Bartolone reflected on the importance of the tone of the debate.
"I want each one of us to understand that we owe the French a measured debate, that we will talk about women and men who are affected by marriage for everyone, who already live in homosexual couples so we need to be careful about the words and expressions that will be used," he told reporters.
Opponents of the proposals, including activist Frigide Barjot who attended the session, have previously called for deputies to be given a free vote on the issue.
UMP deputy Herve Mariton said the debate went beyond party allegiances.
"I want to convince my socialist colleagues that is is not a good idea. I want to convince them. Some of them actually oppose the text but they don't say it. I just want to tell them that they should not obey the orders they get from their party and from their political group, that it's really a question of conscience and that on such issues one should not be led uniquely by the instructions that are given by the party," he said.
The bill does not cover the issue of medically assisted reproduction rights.
But the head of the Green Party group Denis Baupin, said the issue was one of equality.
"We are not completely for assisted reproductive technology as such, we are completely in favour of equal rights. As assisted reproductive technology is allowed for heterosexual couples, we consider that it should be authorised for homosexual couples," he said.
The debate about the planned law change, which would be one of the biggest social reforms since abolition of the death penalty in 1981, is set to last two weeks.
The government's socialist and green majority is determined to pass the legislation, against which the conservative opposition has lodged thousands of amendments.
On Saturday, an Ifop poll showed the proportion of French supporting legalisation of same-sex marriage has risen to 63 percent from 60 percent in early January and December, despite weeks of protest against the planned reform.
Support for adoption rights for gay couples also rose by 3 percentage points, although the country remains divided on the issue, with 49 percent in favour, according to the firm. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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