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On Tuesday, the Chilean Chamber of Deputies approved the bill that allows equal marriage, which passes to its final stage in the Senate.
"With 101 votes in favor, 30 against and two abstentions, the bill that regulates equal marriage is approved, which passes to its third and final procedure in the Senate", informed the National Congress through a communiqué.
The initiative was supported by almost all the opposition, with the exception of the most conservative sector of the Christian Democracy party (center) and by the parliamentarians of the most progressive sectors of the ruling party, mainly of the Evolución Política party (center-right).
Thus, the motion passed to the Senate to complete its last step and, if approved, it would be ready to be promulgated by President Sebastián Piñera.
The original bill was submitted to Congress in 2017 by then-President Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010 and 2014-2018), and for years it remained without significant progress in its processing.
This year, President Piñera expressed his support for the measure and gave the bill the utmost urgency, forcing members of Congress to prioritize the debate.
The initiative was approved in July by the Senate. Still, because some parliamentarians introduced a series of modifications to the original bill, allowing, among other things, homoparental adoption, the senators will have to debate and vote again.
At present, the only recognition for same-sex couples in Chile is the Civil Union Agreement, a legal figure to which heterosexual and homosexual couples can have access.
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