Country's top court allows same-sex marriage

pulse

December 5, 2017 11:49 AM

In April 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony.

Austrias top court said Tuesday that it has ruled that same-sex couples can marry, bringing the Alpine country into line with more than a dozen other European nations.

"The Constitutional Court nullified with a decision on December 4, 2017 the legal regulation that until now prevented such couples from marrying," a statement said.

It said that this would come into force on December 31, 2018.

The ruling came after a case was brought by two women in a registered civil partnership who were denied the right to marry by authorities in the capital Vienna.

In April 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony.

More than a dozen European countries have followed including most recently Germany. But others only allow same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships.

Many eastern European countries -- including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia -- deny homosexuals the right to marry or enter into unions.

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