New Zealand’s legislative body is set to take a final vote on same-sex marriage on Wednesday.
Gay rights activists say the vote — which comes by way of a bill to amend the nation’s marriage law that hails back to 1955 — is an indicator of the country’s recognition of civil rights for gays, BBC reported.
“Marginalizing and discriminating against particular sectors do not benefit society and families,” said Labour’s Louisa Wall, who introduced the legislation, as quoted in BBC. “it is a simple choice — do we support discriminatory laws or not? I know I don’t and hopefully that is true of most of the members of this house.”
The bill’s already been passed by two earlier parliamentary votes and is largely expected to pass, BBC reported. And Prime Minister John Key is on board with its passage.
Christian lobby groups stand in steadfast opposition, BBC reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.