Conservative allies of President Alvaro Uribe renege on their promise to support it and sink bill
As I am watching the New York State Assembly debate a same-sex marriage bill, heartbreaking news has just reached me regarding a last minute move by conservative legislators in Colombia who have, in effect, sunk a bill granting certain rights to same-sex couples in the South American nation (see a previous article on the bill from the Washington Post printed before today's news).
Today, legislators were supposed to meet to hammer out a draft that would reconcile the versions approved earlier this year by the Senate and last week by Congress. It was then supposed to be sent President Alvaro Uribe to be signed into law within days.
Instead, allies of President Uribe from the consevative "La Ú" party, who had recently expressed support for the bill, today turned their back on Uribe and the bill and voted against reconciling both versions which means that the bill is now dead.
From El Tiempo this afternoon:
June 19 of 2007
Law that grants patrimonial rights to homosexual couples is sunk-down in Congress
In a vote for a conciliation report, several Uribe-allies from the "La Ú" party did not endorse the initiative and, by doing so, threw away the four historical votes that had been won.
The decision drew an irate reaction from senator Armando Benedetti, the main sponsor of the bill, who requested the expulsion of those who voted against the project from "La Ú."
The conciliation report received a vote in the Senate plenary with a tally of 26 in favor and 34 against it.
Among those that voted against it are Senators Jose David Name, Luis Élmer Arenas, Adriana Gutiérrez and Jorge Visbal Martelo.
"La Ú" had decided to vote in favor of the project, but apparently these legislators distanced themselves from that decision.The project sought to recognize patrimonial rights and access to social security benefits to same-sex couples.
"Supporters say that they will reintroduce the bill in the next legislative session" says the Los Angeles Times.
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1 comment:
I am a Colombian living abroad. My heart sinks at the news the bill died at the last moment. We struggle in California with yhe passage of propoition 8 and we join all of you with hope for the future.
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