The Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, has introduced a bill to legalize gay marriage, a move that follows a string of liberal reforms in one of Latin America’s most conservative nations.
In 2015, Chile’s Congress approved same-sex civil unions after years of legislative wrangling. In March, Bachelet, a centre-left politician, pledged to send a full marriage bill to legislators before the end of the year.
“We can’t let old prejudices be stronger than love,” Bachelet said in Chile’s La Moneda presidential palace.
“We do this with the certainty that it is not ethical or fair to put artificial limits on love, or to deny essential rights just because of the sex of those who make up a couple.”
The move comes a week after Chile’s constitutional court approved a landmark bill that will allow abortion in some circumstances.
Chile was one of only a handful of countries in the world that outlawed terminating a pregnancy in any situation, including when a woman’s life was in danger.
Former Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has, however, said he opposes the bill. “There should not be discrimination, but at the same time the essence of an institution such as marriage should be respected, which has always been about conserving the human race,” he told the BBC.
Source: The Guardian
