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Netherlands: Same-sex marriages allowed

01 May 1996

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The Dutch parliament has agreed to allow same-sex marriages. The lower house passed a draft law which gives lesbian and gay couples who register their relationship the same rights as heterosexual married couples. This proposal places The Netherlands far in advance of any other EU country. However there appears to be mounting opposition to the draft law from conservatives and catholics, who have even suggested that Queen Beatrix might choose to withhold the royal assent from the legislation. The Dutch government also appears to be lukewarm towards the proposal, worried that it could damage Holland's image. The government is not obliged to implement the law but it will face serious opposition if it is seen to flout the will of Parliament. The proposed legislation has implications beyond the Netherlands. Under EU law legal marriages recognised in one state are automatically registered in another. The Times quotes a spokesperson from the British campaigning group "Stonewall", who reckons that up to 1,000 gay couples from Britain might choose to get married in The Netherlands. Times, 17.4.96.

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