Government will vote today on the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill. The Marriage Act 1955 does not state gender specifics, and the proposed amendment will ensure that only a man and a woman may get married. Similar to laws passed in America and Australia, the bill specifies that a marriage can only be between one man and one woman, ensuring by law that marriage between people of the same sex is prohibited. It also specifies that same-sex marriages registered in foreign countries are not recognised as marriages in New Zealand. The Private Members Bill was proposed by United Future MP Larry Baldock. He says that since Civil Union laws were passed, traditional marriage has become "vulnerable" to those wanting same-sex marriage in New Zealand. It is understood that National, United Future, New Zealand First and the Maori Party will vote in support of the Bill, while Labour, the Greens and the Progressive Coalition have said they will vote against the Bill.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 27th July 2005 - 12:00pm