Austria has passed a bill that will legalize civil unions for same-sex couples from the 1st of January next year, a move that ends “two decades of lobbying”, according to the Homosexual Initiative Vienna.
Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner said that, “We are living in the 21st century and I’m very glad this step is being taken today.” The legalization means that same-sex couples are given the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts.
The couples would have to pay alimony in the event of a split, and one partner will have access to a pension should the other die. However, adoption and insemination are now banned. 110 politicians voted in favour of the bill and 64 votes against.
Bravo Austria!
