• Full Story

Same-sex marriage bill progresses

Email
Print

Same-sex marriage bill progresses

3News NZ

Numerous protests arrived at Parliament before Ms Wall's bill was pulled from the ballot

Numerous protests arrived at Parliament before Ms Wall's bill was pulled from the ballot

Same-sex marriage is a step closer to becoming a reality with Labour MP Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill passing its first select committee stage.

Her bill will now proceed to a second reading in Parliament next month where MPs will decide whether to continue its progress into law.

If it becomes law, it will allow two people to get married regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

The select committee received 21,533 submissions in relation to the bill with 10,487 – just over half - supporting the bill and 8,148 opposing it.

Only 220 people turned up at the committee to present their submission.

Ms Wall, who is on the Government and Administration Select Committee, says the bill reaching its second reading is a milestone.

“This process has showed that that message has really resonated with New Zealanders and has been echoed overseas with the recent passage of similar legislation in the UK.

“We have seen a high level of engagement in the debate and I am looking forward to taking the Bill through to its second phase,” says Ms Wall.

During its first reading in Parliament, a majority of MPs voted in favour of the bill with 80 voting in favour and 40 voting against.

The second reading is expected on March 13.

3 News.

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

1/03/2013 9:24:39 p.m.

Boyd wrote:

Decriminalising gay marriage will see their power and control over gay's erode further. It won't have any affect on their marriage, just their self-righteousness. They're running out of minority groups to harass.

1/03/2013 9:46:43 a.m.

Daryl wrote:

@ Val so you arent against gay unions but you still want them separated so they can be discriminated! and as for Ceemee's comment, what has that got to do with anything, you are still going to be your husbands wife regardless how many gay people get married! Why do people think that marriage equality is going to affect them in any way, its just about treating everyone as equals, thats it. and Frank, the reasonsn so many governments are pushing it through so quickly is because its the right thing to do to end discrimination, and also because the religious nuts are quickly running out of pathetic excuses to follow the rules of an old fairytale, and the demands of the people who are still to stupid to use their brains are finally starting to fall on deaf ears. At the end of the day all this is about is treating people as equals regardless of race, sex or sexual preference, and anoyher nail in the coffin of warped religious beliefs

1/03/2013 9:22:27 a.m.

Craig wrote:

I find it absolutely fascinating that opponents of marriage equality's marriages are so fragile that they think that opening civil marriage up to LGBT New Zealanders will somehow affect their straights-only religious marriages. It won't. If you want to get married in an antigay religious denomination or sect, you'll still be able to. Nothing will change.

28/02/2013 6:36:41 p.m.

Frank wrote:

Indeed ''CEEMEE''these people have no respect what so ever for peoples feelings,it is ''me me'' all the time What beats me is why the government's of so many countries are pushing this through without proper consultation with the general public,this sort of legislation is usually reserved for emergency's

28/02/2013 10:37:59 a.m.

CEEMEE wrote:

Am disgusted that my vows are to be desecrated by this. My wedding cermony ended with the words I now pronounce you husband and wife. I take my position in my family as my husbands wife to be sacred. You want to take that away from me????

27/02/2013 7:27:14 p.m.

Val wrote:

I am not opposed for gay union but don't like the idea of them taking the term 'marriage' which historically has represented heterosexual union. So for gay union they need an equivalent unique name such as someone suggested, a term such as 'gayrriage' for example.

27/02/2013 5:54:14 p.m.

Chris wrote:

Good - ingnore all the homophobic and biggoted wreckers and haters. All these so called sick 'Christians'[love thy neighbour - yea right] and moralists make me sick.

27/02/2013 4:52:13 p.m.

Craig wrote:

Anil, why is it that conservative Christian opponents of marriage equality always use that Jerry Falwell cliche "Adam and Steve"? Try to be original.

And as for the question of support, might I point out that only forty percent of submissions to the select committee opposed the bill? Why can't the bully pulpit recognise when it's beaten?

27/02/2013 2:47:48 p.m.

ANIL wrote:

"Adam and Eve" not 'Adam and Steve". What a bunch of PC nonsense to allow these queers to marry.

27/02/2013 2:25:09 p.m.

Michael wrote:

I'd be interested to see how many of those opposing the bill are opposing it on religious grounds. You don't see many atheists being anti-equality, do you?