Uruguay Gay Adoption Victory for Activists
Same-Sex Parenting Law Leads Way in Latin American LGBT Rights
Oct 13, 2009
Uruguay has become the first country in Latin America to legalize the adoption of children by same-sex couples. The move comes after fierce debate in the House of Deputies and the Senate, and has created vigorous opposition from the country’s conservative political parties and the Catholic Church.
Politicians on the Left Support Measure
The bill passed with the support of the center-left governing party, the Broad Front (Frente Amplio) and the opposition Red Party (Partido Colorado). 17 out of 23 senators voted in favor of extending adoption rights to gay and lesbian couples previously reserved exclusively for heterosexual partnerships.
The small South American nation has stepped to the forefront of gay and lesbian rights in the Southern Hemisphere, with recent laws allowing for openly gay Uruguayans to serve in the armed forces and for transgender individuals to change their name and gender in legal documents. In 2008 Uruguay passed a comprehensive civil partnership law, granting same-sex couples many of the rights enjoyed by heterosexual marriages –including inheritance rights, social security, alimony arrangements and joint property ownership.
Speaking to Radio ‘El Espectador’, governing party deputy Pablo Alvarez declared: “what matters is the love or the quality that goes into building a home, and not the sexual orientation of the parents”.
In contrast, Catholic Bishop Paul Galimbertti expressed the Church's disapproval with the measure, stating to AFP that "the position of the Church is very clear on this issue", and that "there is no proof that adoption by homosexuals is a positive thing."
Same-Sex Marriage Battle to Follow General Election
Uruguay, a predominantly Catholic nation with a population of 3.5 million people, has been governed by a center-left coalition since 2004. Respect and tolerance for sexual minorities within Uruguay has increased dramatically since the demise of military rule in 1984, particularly in the capital Montevideo, where gay pride parades have been taking place since 1993. This year's Pride March congregated several hundreds of activists and supporters in a public demonstration from Montevideo's Old Town and across the capital's main artery, 18 of July Avenue. The march was headed by Montevideo's mayor Ricardo Ehrlich.
A senator from the incumbent Broad Front party, Margarita Percovich, has stated to Uruguayan Radio 'Monte Carlo' that if the party wins the upcoming general election, it will push for the legalization of full same-sex marriage. The election is scheduled to take part on October 25th 2009.
Colombia, Brazil Argentina and parts of Mexico (Mexico City and the northern state of Coahuila) currently offer civil partnership arrangements to same-sex couples. The issue is under debate in Chile, and a civil partnership bill has passed the first round of voting in Venezuela's National Assembly.
See also: Gays Make Good Parents, by Ann Berkeley
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