The largest Parliamentary groups split on Friday in a vote in the house on a bill to allow a partner in a registered same-sex relationship to adopt the natural child of the other partner, while the bill was passed by a large majority of 108 to 29.
As many as 61 MPs were not in the chamber at the time of the vote.
The motion to reject the bill had been put forward by Päivi Räsäsen of the Christian Democrats and supported by Raimo Vistbacka (True Finns). Opponents of the bill were to be found both from the ranks of the government and opposition.
Fifteen members of the governing Centre Party voted against the bill, along with four MPs from the National Coalition Party. One NCP member abstained.
Among the smaller government coalition parties, the Green and Swedish People's Party MPs all voted for the bill.
On the opposition side, three Social Democrats were against the idea of adoption rights.
All Left Alliance members voted for the bill, and all the Christian Democrats were against it.
Only one representative of the True Finns was in the chamber, and voted against the bill.
