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| Italian MPs back same-sex unions in vote for Renzi | Italian MPs back same-sex unions in vote for Renzi |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Italy's parliament has backed same-sex civil unions in a vote of confidence for centre-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. | Italy's parliament has backed same-sex civil unions in a vote of confidence for centre-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. |
| Until Wednesday's vote Italy had been the last major Western democracy not to legally recognise gay partnerships. | Until Wednesday's vote Italy had been the last major Western democracy not to legally recognise gay partnerships. |
| The issue has been highly controversial in Italy, amid staunch opposition from Catholic conservatives. | The issue has been highly controversial in Italy, amid staunch opposition from Catholic conservatives. |
| MPs in the lower house voted 369-193 for the government, ensuring that the civil unions bill will become law. | MPs in the lower house voted 369-193 for the government, ensuring that the civil unions bill will become law. |
| Ahead of the vote, Mr Renzi wrote on Facebook that "today is a day of celebration for so many". | |
| Final approval of civil unions is expected later on Wednesday, but that vote by MPs is seen as a formality, as the confidence vote was the crucial hurdle. | |
| After many delays the civil unions bill was watered down in order to secure the necessary support. A clause that would have enabled gay people to adopt their partner's children was dropped. | |
| But it does grant committed gay couples some of the same legal protections currently enjoyed by heterosexual married couples, such as the right to receive a deceased partner's pension. | |
| 'A first step' | |
| Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy had violated human rights by failing to offer enough legal protection for same-sex couples. | |
| In February this year the Italian Senate - the upper house - approved the civil unions bill, after the text had been watered down. | |
| The bill's main sponsor, Democratic Party (PD) Senator Monica Cirinna, called the compromise version a "hollow victory" and only "a first step". | |
| "This is a very important measure, but I am also thinking of the children of so many friends," she said, referring to the concession over gay adoptions. | |
| There is no blanket ban on adoption, but family judges will decide on a case-by-case basis. | |
| In another concession to conservative opponents, a requirement for gay couples to pledge loyalty was dropped from the bill. That was to put distance between the new civil unions and marriage vows. | |
| Critics say the bill lacks some of the legal guarantees enshrined in civil unions in other European countries, the US and Canada. |