As the law currently stands, civil partnerships are only available to same-sex couples. Today, MPs will be debating the Equal Civil Partnership Bill to modify current laws to allow opposite-sex couples to enter civil partnerships.
According to a public consultation conducted by the government in 2012 on the subject, the majority of those questioned were in favour of granting them equal rights. It is estimated that most MPs also back equality.
Back in 2004, same-sex couples were granted the right to civil partnerships but not to marriage. In 2013, they were finally granted the right to marry but opposite-sex couples still weren’t given the right to civil partnerships.
“It’s time for ‘straight’ equality. It cannot be right that same-sex couples now have two options, civil partnership and civil marriage, whereas opposite-sex partners have only one option, marriage”, says equality activist Peter Tatchell who is backing the Bill and has campaigned for equal civil partnership since same-sex couples were given this right in 2004.
“In a democratic society, everyone should be equal before the law, with the same rights and responsibilities”, he adds.
The Equal Civil Partnership campaign was started by opposite-sex couple, Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan.
Rebecca Steinfeld said, “The current situation is self-evidently unfair. Civil partnerships promote stable families and protect children. They should be available to everyone.
“The number of same-sex couples opting for civil partnerships increased last year, despite the introduction of same-sex marriage. This shows that the demand for civil partnerships is not going away and it is likely that many different-sex couples would like this option”.
> Naomi Round
MPs to Debate on Equal Civil Partnerships Bill
