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International: Colombian Court Grants Gay Couples Pension Benefits by gomag.com April 21, 2008 |
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A procedural move to block a bill for the rights of same-sex couples was recently reversed by Colombia’s Constitutional Court, which has ruled in favor of shared pension benefits for same-sex partners. The court stipulated that to exclude gay and lesbian couples from spousal benefits would violate international law, which protects the principal of non-discrimination and human dignity as the expression of personal autonomy.
The reversal followed the Catholic Church’s warning that legislators were violating Vatican policy by withholding these rights, and could be denied the sacraments as a result. Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has now agreed to sign the shared-benefits bill into law.
The ruling comes on the heels of last year’s decision that same-sex couples should have the same property rights as heterosexual couples.
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