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Scottish MP Calls For Civil Unions
by Peter Moore
365Gay.com Newscenter
London Bureau
May 13, 2003
11:37 a.m. ET/+5GMT/-3PT
(Edinburgh) A member of the Scottish Parliament has introduced a private member's bill to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights as heterosexual married pairs.
Patrick Harvie, a member of the small Green Party, said he hoped to win the support of MSPs from all parties to allow the bill to go forward.
Harvie's legislation would establish a civil ceremony to allow gays and lesbians to formally register their partnerships and give them legal rights and responsibilities.
The rights would include the same treatment in tax affairs, welfare benefits, insurance, property and legacies as married couples. It also would cover heterosexual couples who chose not to marry.
The legislation already has the support of Harvie's own party plus the Liberal Democrats, the Socialists and individual members across the other parties.
Fourteen MSPs supported a similar bill in the last parliament and Harvie needs the support of 11 this time to ensure the bill reaches its first parliamentary stage.
However the leadership of the Scottish Conservatives will not support the bill. The party accuses Harvie of trying to hijack parliament's agenda and predicted that it will not receive enough support even to reach the floor of the chamber.
The UK Government is promising to consult on civil partnership proposals for England and Wales and the Scottish Executive said last year that it would examine those proposals.
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