Post date: Jun 04, 2013 10:6:5 PM
Britain's upper house of parliament approves government plans for same-sex marriages in England and Wales.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 4, 2013) (UK PARLIAMENT) - Britain on Tuesday (June 4) moved closer to becoming a law plans of allowing same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
A vote at the House of Lords defeated an amendment that would have destroyed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill which has been a flagship policy by Prime Minister David Cameron's government.The rejection of the amendment, 390 votes against 148, effectively passes the bill.
Scotland's devolved government has said it would also work to legalise same-sex marriage.
The Church of England sees the "intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman". It has said the government's plan is ill-conceived and risks creating the biggest rift between the state and the Church in Britain for centuries.
Critics say restricting homosexuals to civil partnerships rather than marriage is a form of discrimination, even when, as in Britain, there is little or no difference in the legal rights conferred.
If passed into law the plan would bring Britain closer to countries such as the Netherlands and Canada where gays can legally marry.