Uruguay set to legalize gay civil unions

Uruguay set to legalize gay civil unions

REUTERS
11:32 a.m. November 29, 2007
MONTEVIDEO – Uruguay will legalize civil unions for homosexuals and heterosexuals next month, making it the first Latin American nation to treat gay and straight couples alike, a lawmaker said Thursday.
Deputies in the early hours of Thursday passed legislation allowing gay and straight couples to form civil unions after living together for at least five years.

The Senate has already approved the measure.
“This recognition of the legal status of couples ... recognizes the legal status of homosexual couples, which gives it a completely new dimension,” said Edgardo Ortuno, a member of the center-left ruling party.
Before it can be applied, senators must consider the law again because some revisions were made to the document. Ortuno said he expects it to take effect by mid-December.
Under the law, couples will be granted rights related to social security payments, pensions, inheritance and parenting. To gain these cohabitation rights, couples must register the relationship with authorities. They also will be able to register the end of a union.
Gay civil unions are allowed in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires and in Mexico's capital and in Coahuila state. Uruguay's law would be the first nationwide measure.
Gay marriage would remain illegal in Uruguay, a small South American country known for its secular streak.
Uruguayan senators voted this month to ease abortion laws, although the country's president has vowed to veto any legislation that seeks to decriminalize abortion.
(Reporting by Conrado Hornos; Writing by Helen Popper; Editing by Xavier Briand)