Uruguay backs gay adoption bill

A landmark proposal that would allow Uruguayan gay couples to adopt was passed on Wednesday by the country’s legislature.

President Tabare Vasquez is expected to sign the bill which would make Uruguay the first Latin American country to extend adoption privileges to same-sex couples. The bill- which was approved by a 17-6 vote- would also permit unmarried couples to adopt.

As to be anticipated, several conservative groups are opposed to the proposal:

The archbishop of Montevideo, Nicolas Cotugno, said before the vote that it would be a "serious error to accept the adoption of children by homosexual couples".

"It's not about religion, philosophy or sociology. It's something which is mainly about the respect of human nature itself," he said in a statement quoted by AFP.

The bill in Uruguay is the latest of several gay-friendly moves done gradually over the past decade throughout Latin America. Gay marriages are legal in areas like Mexico City and Buenos Aires while Colombian same-sex couples were recently permitted the same rights as straight couples. While the idiotic” don’t ask don’t tell” policy remains for U.S. troops, gays are close to openly serving in Uruguay’s military.

Image- AFP (“Members of gay organizations display the rainbow gay pride flag over the stairs of the Palacio Legislativo in Montevideo.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, CNN, New York Times, The Advocate, BBC News, Foreign Policy