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Maltese parliament legalizes same-sex marriage
Source: Reuters
#WORLD NEWS
JULY 12, 2017 / 2:35 PM / 2 MINUTES AGO
Maltese parliament legalizes same-sex marriage
VALLETTA (Reuters) - Maltese lawmakers voted on Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage on the Roman Catholic Mediterranean island, fulfilling Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's campaign promise to make this the first law brought before parliament in his new term.
The law, which drew cross-party support, removes words including as "husband", "wife", "mother" and "father" from the Marriage Act and replaces them with the gender-neutral "spouse", "parent who gave birth" and "parent who did not give birth".
Muscat said such wording was needed to avoid categorizing any member of society. He rejected accusations that this could spell the end to "Mother's Day" or "Father's Day", saying such suggestions were "laughable".
"I think this is an historic vote. It shows that our democracy and our society are maturing ... It is a society where we can all say we are equal," the prime minister told reporters.
Muscat won a second term in office on June 3 and had vowed to reinforce his call for equality in society.
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JULY 12, 2017 / 2:35 PM / 2 MINUTES AGO
Maltese parliament legalizes same-sex marriage
VALLETTA (Reuters) - Maltese lawmakers voted on Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage on the Roman Catholic Mediterranean island, fulfilling Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's campaign promise to make this the first law brought before parliament in his new term.
The law, which drew cross-party support, removes words including as "husband", "wife", "mother" and "father" from the Marriage Act and replaces them with the gender-neutral "spouse", "parent who gave birth" and "parent who did not give birth".
Muscat said such wording was needed to avoid categorizing any member of society. He rejected accusations that this could spell the end to "Mother's Day" or "Father's Day", saying such suggestions were "laughable".
"I think this is an historic vote. It shows that our democracy and our society are maturing ... It is a society where we can all say we are equal," the prime minister told reporters.
Muscat won a second term in office on June 3 and had vowed to reinforce his call for equality in society.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-malta-gaymarriage-idUSKBN19X2KM
