Initiative for same-sex marriage gets signatures of 76 MPs

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An initiative for legislation that would allow couples of the same gender to marry has been signed by 76 of Finland’s 200 Members of Parliament. Next the initiative will undergo preliminary debate, after which it is expected to go before the Legal Affairs Committee, which will decide if the bill should be brought to a vote in Parliament, and if it can become law.
      A group of MPs representing five parties fell short of its goal of 100 signatures.
     
In addition to allowing same sex couples to marry, the proposal would also allow the couples to adopt children.
      Lasse Männistö (Nat. Coalition Party), the chairman of the group behind the initiative, emphasised that if the bill is passed, religious communities would still have the right to set their own standards for whom they wish to marry.
     
MPs from seven different parliamentary groups, including 11 government ministers, are among the signatories. Only one opposition Centre Party MP signed the measure. No members of The Finns Party or the Christian Democrats signed the initiative.
      Männistö said that many MPs did not want to become profiled by signing the paper, but they said that they would nevertheless support the measure in a possible vote.
     
Missing from the signatories are nine MPs who had indicated in an online candidate selection engine before last year’s parliamentary elections that they were in favour of marriage equality.
      National Coalition Party MP Outi Mäkelä is one of them. She says that she has not changed her mind, but she did not want to take the initiative in the matter because it is not a government proposal.
      Similar thoughts were voiced by the SDP’s Suna Kymäläinen, who added that the adoption question has also given her food for thought.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Same sex marriage initiative faces uphill battle in Parliament (23.11.2012)
  NEWS ANALYSIS: Marriage equality issue left over from government formation talks (29.9.2011)
  BREAKING NEWS: Multiparty initiative to change marriage legislation to allow same-sex marriages (28.9.2011)
  Finnish MPs disagree on registered couples´ adoption rights (27.11.2008)

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