Friday, December 6, 2002

A story released today by CNSNews.com reports that Britain's ruling Labor Party plans to introduce a bill that would give cohabiting same-sex couples some of the same rights as married couples.

Barbara Roche, minister for social exclusion and equalities, said there is a "clear and strong" case for allowing homosexual couples the chance to register their relationships with the government.

The new law would allow partners to be named as next-of-kin and give same-sex cohabiting couples property rights and inheritance tax exemptions. A "marriage" ceremony will not be required and the government has shied away from calling the arrangement "same-sex marriage."

Roche pointed out that eight EU countries along with Canada and several U.S. states already give some form of legal recognition or rights to same-sex domestic partnerships.

Roche admitted that the practicalities of introducing the system would be complex, but that the scheme would "bring benefits to the whole community."

"This is not about being politically correct but about bringing law and practice into line with the reality of people's lives," she said.

The bill is not part of the current legislative slate and won't be introduced until at least next summer. The opposition Conservative Party, however, indicated tentative support for the proposed legislation Friday.

Earlier this year, the House of Lords debated a bill that would give both homosexual couples and unmarried heterosexual couples the same legal rights as married people. The measure did not make it to a vote.

Roche's suggested legislation is less wide-ranging and would not include unmarried heterosexual couples, yet any bill to give homosexual partnerships legal standing would likely face opposition in the upper chamber.