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Chile President Sebastian Pinera proposes civil unions | Chile President Sebastian Pinera proposes civil unions |
(about 6 hours later) | |
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has proposed legislation that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions. | |
The bill would give homosexual couples and unmarried heterosexual couples the same inheritance and social welfare rights as married partners. | |
Gay right activists welcomed the bill which needs to be approved by Congress. | |
But leaders of the president's centre-right coalition refused to attend the proposal's signing ceremony. | But leaders of the president's centre-right coalition refused to attend the proposal's signing ceremony. |
In a speech at the presidential palace, President Pinera said all couples "deserved respect, dignity and support of the state". | In a speech at the presidential palace, President Pinera said all couples "deserved respect, dignity and support of the state". |
Unmarried couples and homosexual couples would have to sign a document at a registrar's office to qualify for inheritance and certain social welfare and health care benefits. | |
The Roman Catholic Church in Chile is opposed to the bill, as are some members of the coalition led by President Pinera. | |
Chile only legalised divorce in 2004. It is estimated that some two million people live together without marrying. | |
President Pinera insisted the initiative did not change the concept of marriage but just put homosexual civil unions on a more equal legal footing. | President Pinera insisted the initiative did not change the concept of marriage but just put homosexual civil unions on a more equal legal footing. |
"I deeply believe that marriage is by nature between a man and awoman, but that conviction does not prevent me from recognising that other forms of affective relationships exist," he said. | |
Opposition to wider definitions of marriage than that between a man and a woman is widespread in Chile. |
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