Portugal's President to Sign Same Sex Marriage Bill

Excellent news on Portugal's marriage equality bill that passed in January. President Anibal Cavaco Silva says he will sign the same-sex marriage bill, reports the Associated Press.

"President Anibal Cavaco Silva said in a nationally televised address...vetoing the bill would only send it back to Parliament where lawmakers would overturn his decision, he said, adding that the country needed to focus on overcoming an economic crisis that has increased unemployment and deepened poverty. The Socialist government's bill was backed by all of Portugal's left-of-center parties, who together have a majority in Parliament. Right-of-center parties opposed the measure and demanded a national referendum. 'Given that fact, I feel I should not contribute to a pointless extension of this debate, which would only serve to deepen the divisions between the Portuguese and divert the attention of politicians away from the grave problems affecting us,' Cavaco Silva said. He said that, in ratifying the law, he was setting aside 'personal convictions.'"

Portugal's Constitutional Court overwhelmingly approved the marriage bill in April.

The conservative and overwhelmingly Catholic nation becomes the sixth European country allowing same-sex couples to wed. Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway also allow marriage equality. Five U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage, as have Canada, South Africa and Mexico City.

Cavaco Silva's announcement comes on the International Day Against Homophobia. Bravo and congratulations Portugal.

Comments

[FREELEO]

Every where but the, "land of the free and the home of the brave."

[Observeur]

Hopefully the bug that bit Silva and the Portuguese Parliament will make its' way over here to America and bite a couple people.

[Ravenback]

That bug will have to hit more than a couple of people.

[Jim]

Dateline 2025: Uganda today became the 187th member of the United Nations to legalize marriage equality for gay couples. This leaves Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Jamaica, and the United States as the only countries where gay couples are ineligible to be wed. (Saudi Arabia, however, has legalized male concubinage.)

[Procrastination_Xtravaganza]

I hope more leaders take his stance of whether for it or against, it's gonna happen, it's not that big a deal, and there are more pressing issues needed to be dealt with.

The sanctity opponents are so hypocritical, marriage is in such shambles in the US, heck gays might just save it!