Italian Senate passes bill for same-sex civil union legislation

The Italian senate has passed a bill to recognize civil unions between same sex couples, international media report.

The legislation passed 173-71, on Thursday and marks a success for LGBT groups, facing staunch opposition from the Catholic church in the country as well as political manoeuvring that almost disrupted the legislation.

However, senators were forced to make legislation much milder than it was initially intended to ensure that the legislation actually passed.

The law will allow both same-sex and heterosexual couples to enter civil unions that will give them legal rights similar to married couples, however, a provision in the legislation that would have granted non-biological parents in same-sex unions some parental rights – known as the “stepchild” provision – was struck from the legislation this week following a parliamentary agreement between prime minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic party and his coalition partners, the New Centre Right.

Angelino Alfano, leader of the New Centre Right and interior minister, welcomed the decision not to give gay couples even limited rights to adopt children, saying that they had “prevented a revolution that went against nature.”

The Guardian adds that the legislation means that, once it is signed into law, every major country in western Europe will offer some legal recognition – either through civil unions or marriage – to same-sex couples.

Renzi, who called the passage of the law “historic”, would have had to resign had the vote been lost.

According to the Guardian, although the law still has to pass in the lower chamber of deputies, the passage of the bill in the Senate was the toughest hurdle.