A proposal to legalise same-sex co-adoption was rejected by the PSD/CDS-PP coalition government this Friday (March 14) in Parliament.
The voting on the Socialist Party’s proposal was cut short as the government flunked it based solely on its first article.
It received 112 negative votes from both PSD and CDS-PP against 107 favourable from PS, PCP, BE, PEV and 15 MPs of PSD. Four MPs abstained.
Afterwards, PSD parliamentary leader Luís Montenegro said the fact that the government had already approved a referendum on the topic but now rejects the proposal shows just how divisive the whole issue is – which is precisely why Portuguese people should be allowed to say what they think.
“The referendum would set an unequivocal stance for the country,” Montenegro guaranteed.
He then revealed that his party would only decide on the referendum following this year’s European elections.
Meantime, president of the Portuguese Lesbian-Gay Association dubbed the government’s rejection of the proposal as “absolutely shocking” and “extreme”.
Paulo Corte Real told Lusa news agency that his association would therefore stand by the complaint it presented in court over the government’s disrespect for the constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
