With two justices dissenting, Portugal’s Constitutional Court has approved lawmakers’ passage of same-sex marriage, taking the case after President Anibal Cavaco Silva (pictured) cast doubts on four out of five of the bill’s provisions. And while Cavaco can still veto the bill, Prime Minister Jose Socrates, who made gay marriage a campaign pledge of his Socialist party, says he will overturn a rejection from the president; his party, after all, controls Parliament. If the bill passes, Portugal would become Europe’s sixth nation with legal gay marriage.
Chris
Awesome, this means that the Portuguese will actually get equal marriage rights!
Gridlock
the silence from the Obama administration is deafening yet again
Brentinpdx
When the rest of the world see this as a good thing. The United States will be behind the times and more backwards that it already is. As long the church is not separate from it influence on the the laws in this country. And yes it has influence,look at California …prime example.
No one, Including Obama is going to change anything in the USA.. the next president will abolish it and make it go away. Even if a law is passed the right wing Christians scream its against they’re beliefs and tie it up on courts with lawsuits and other mumbo jumbo bullshit.
Schteve
I wondered just how big of a dissent two judges is, and turns out the Constitutional Court is composed of 13 members. Not too shabby!
John (CA)
That’s the way it works in a parliamentary system. The majority party actually has a legislative agenda. And if necessary, they will push it through without the blessing of the magical “bipartisan” unicorn. No goddamn Senate filibusters, cloture votes, reconciliation, conference committee, or any of that obstructionist nonsense. If your side has more votes than the other side in the representative body – usually the lower house of Parliament – then you win.
End of story.
Now, if only we can introduce this sort of democracy to America. The country where the President can’t sneeze without a torrent of lawsuits from religious zealots. The country where the Republicans have 40% of the seats in Congress and 100% of the power!
Paschal
@Brentinpdx: While President Obamaisnlt perfect, it’s clear that progress is being made under him. There are examples of how things are very different under him than under the previous president, who wasn’t exactly going to support marriage equality while president. The U.S.A. has much to do in the area of equality for gays but the rest of the world isn;t exactly like San Francisco. Check Wikipedia to see the state of gay rights in the rest of the world.
Paschal
@John (CA): The U.S. system is good as individual politicians have a large say in the formation of legislation. The systems in Europe is good too. The legislature decides who leads the government and therefore there isn’t the conflict which exists when the U.S. Presidency and Congress are in the hands of different parties.
Cam
The Pope must be nashing his teeth, he actually told the Spaniards to go against their govt. and fight against gay marriage, they ignored him. Now Portugual, another strongly catholic country is thumbing their nose at the Vatican and voting for gay marriage. Loving this.
Bill Perdue
Socialist parties in Spain (Socialist Workers’ Party, Partido Socialista Obrero España and Portugal (Socialist Party, Partido Socialista legislated same sex marriage.
In the US a bigot in the White House fights tooth and nail against it and torpedoed our efforts to preserve it in California. At a ‘debate’ between McCain and Obama at Rick Warrens southern baptist bigotfest in Orange County, CA just before the vote on Prop 8, Obama galvanized and justified bigot voters saying he was opposed to same sex marriage because “gawd’s in the mix”:
Another WH bigot, Bill Clinton, championed DOMA and bragged about signing DOMA in ads on Southern redneck christian radio stations claiming that Clinton was
A Republican is a rightwing jackass with a theocrat attached at the hip. A Democrat is a Republican in ‘progressive’ drag. With Democrats like these who needs Republicans.
daniel
@Cam: and he’s actually coming to portugal next month, that’ll be interesting