Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Oh those Spanish
Madrid, Jan. 19 (CWNews.com) - Although Spain's highest judicial authority has ruled that a proposed bill legalizing gay marriage is unconstitutional, the country's Socialist government said on Tuesday that it is going ahead with plans to vote the bill into law.
The ruling of the Judicial Authority Council is non-binding, but the ruling could open the door for quick legal challenges if the bill becomes law. The four judges of the council voted three to one against the bill. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar said he would ignore the ruling which was "without legal basis." The bill is expected to pass easily through parliament despite the judges' ruling.
Jose Luis Requero, a member of the council, reiterated that marriage could "only be heterosexual." He said, "According to arguments I have heard (in support of same-sex unions), it would be impossible to argue why two brothers cannot marry, or why a man cannot marry many women."
The ruling of the Judicial Authority Council is non-binding, but the ruling could open the door for quick legal challenges if the bill becomes law. The four judges of the council voted three to one against the bill. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar said he would ignore the ruling which was "without legal basis." The bill is expected to pass easily through parliament despite the judges' ruling.
Jose Luis Requero, a member of the council, reiterated that marriage could "only be heterosexual." He said, "According to arguments I have heard (in support of same-sex unions), it would be impossible to argue why two brothers cannot marry, or why a man cannot marry many women."
