Oops! Germany Legalizes Gay Marriage
The country
has now joined many other Western European nations and the United States,that
have already approved homosexuality.
Although
since 2001, same-sex couples in Germany were given the freedom to form civil
unions but were not allowed to marry themselves.
Notwithstanding
her stands on the issue of gay marriages, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel
put the issue up for the vote after saying on Monday that lawmakers could take
up the issue as a “question of conscience,” freeing members of her ruling
Christian Democratic Party to vote in support.
Speaking
with reporters after the votes, Merkel who voted against the measure said she
believes that “marriage is marriage between man and woman.”
“For me,
marriage in German law is marriage between a man and a woman and that is why I
did not vote in favour of this bill today,”
“I hope that
the vote today not only promotes respect between different opinions but also
brings more social cohesion and peace,” she said.
According to
reports, 393 lawmakers voted for same-sex marriage while 226 voted against it.
Reacting to
the decision, Merkel’s main political rival, Martin Schulz of the Social
Democratic Party, said “This gives unity and the right and freedom in Germany
now for all those who love each other.”
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