Tanzanian Association Oslo

New bill proposes marriage

rights for gay couples

Minister of Children and Equality Anniken Huitfeldt has presented a proposal for a new, comprehensive marriage act. The proposal is for a single marriage law covering both same-sex and male-female couples.

The proposed act would ensure that:

- Homosexual couples may be evaluated as prospective adoptive parents on an equal basis with heterosexual couples.

- Lesbian spouses and cohabitants have the same access to assisted fertilization as heterosexual couples and cohabitants.

- after birth through assisted fertilization, parental authority is granted automatically to non-biological mothers in lesbian marriages, consistent with the authority granted to heterosexual couples.

The proposed act would also open the way for church and faith communities to have the right – though not the obligation – to consecrate lesbian and homosexual relationships.

Minister Huitfeldt (Labour), called the proposed law "an historic step towards equality." She said the aim of the proposed law is to show that homosexual and heterosexual couples are equal under the law.

Norway already has what is called a "partnership law" which has allowed homosexuals to form legal civil partnerships.

The Norwegian State Church and free church organizations are critical to the new bill in the form it has been presented, but it is expected that the new law will pass Parliament (Stortinget) before the summer.

Source: Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and Norway Post.