Ecuador’s highest court votes to legalise same-sex marriage

Ecuador’s highest court votes to legalise same-sex marriage
Image: Sydney's rally for marriage equality. Image: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.

Ecuador’s official Constitutional Court has voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in the country.

The landmark vote has arrived almost one year after the country’s Family, Women, Children, and Adolescents Court ruled in favour of a local lesbian couple’s right to marry.

The couple was denied a marriage license at the time, given Ecuador’s Constitution hadn’t yet been updated, according to NewNowNext.

However, this week’s pro-marriage equality vote by the Constitutional Court means that same-sex couples will now be guaranteed a constitutional right to tie the knot.

In other positive international news, earlier this week Botswana’s High Court ruled to overturn colonial-era laws that criminalised homosexuality and prescribed a prison sentence of up to seven years for those found guilty.

The decision has been hailed by advocates as a major step for gay rights on the African continent.

The Court ruled to strike down section 164(a) and (c), and section 167 of the penal code which criminalised homosexuality, or “carnal knowledge against the order of nature”.

The Court unanimously ruled that the provisions were discriminatory and against public interest.

Ecuador has had civil unions for same-sex couples since 2014.

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One response to “Ecuador’s highest court votes to legalise same-sex marriage”

  1. Next countries to legalize SSM within the next 5 years:

    * Costa Rica (26 May 2020 effective)
    * Chile
    * Switzerland
    * Czech Republic
    * Andorra (a country between Spain and France)
    * San Marino (only just allowed civil unions in 2018)
    * All UK Territories
    * No government within Northern Ireland for the past 2 years, so the UK Parliament has to do it instead – however the Conservatives as well as the DLP Coalition partner are deeply against SSM.