Portugal’s law banning same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional, the nation’s Constitutional Court ruled. The 3-2 decision knocks down a case involving Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, who’s been together for six years and were denied a marriage license. Still on Portugal’s constitutional books: prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Evidently, banning gay marriage and discrimination are able to exist as one.
Sorry, Ladies: The Portuguese Ain’t Getting The Gay Marriage
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petted
3-2 vote when a new judge comes in there could be a decisive change in views on this point
Forrest
A somewhat semantic ruling in the Court’s perspective (not mine).
They hold that the rights are not being denied gay couples by denying the word “marriage”. Which on it’s face IS discrimination therefore violating the constitution.
These girls need to move to Spain PRONTO
threshold
Portugal is likely to recognize gay marriage later this year after the elections anyway…
Daniel
Portugal’s justice system ruled two years earlier that heterosexual rapists will receive lesser sentences than gay rapists because heterosexual rape is natural and therefore victims of heterosexual rape don’t deserve equal protection under law. That is how sick and twisted Portugal’s “justice” system is, proving that corrupt judges can destroy an entire democracy by not upholding equal protection under law.
Ben
The Portuguese Socialists, who are currently in power, have said they’ll bring in a same-sex marriage bill if they win the next election (though it’s not clear they will). That vote is later this year.
osocubano
Didn’t know they had gay people there.
M Shane
No. 4 · Daniel: Democracy by no means assures people rights. Prop 8 is an example of where pure democracy was used in the U.S. to take away rights. Portugal is a Parlimentary Republic .That’s why they have other branches of Government. The Legislature determines the laws and the justice system is just bound to interpret their laws.
Portugal has a large Catholic population even though the government s suposed to be secular and the law regarding rape which is just silly beyond comprehension was no doubt of Catholic inspiration. The Socialists are secular usually as a matter of principle and would presunmably take those inconsistencies out of the laws if elected.
It has become almost a pattern now that socialism assures rights while capitalism takes them away, as we saw all through South America & Europe.