Valleta: Malta's parliament voted Wednesday to allow same-sex couples to marry, three years after passing a law permitting civil partnerships in the overwhelmingly Catholic nation.
Lawmakers gave near-unanimous approval to the bill, which represents a major step for LBGT rights on the island, which only legalised divorce in 2011 and where abortion is outlawed.
Malta, the European Union's smallest nation, becomes the bloc's 15th country to legalise same-sex unions.
"It's a historic vote. This shows that our democracy and society have reached a level of maturity and we can now say that we are all equal," he said after the text was passed.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lawmakers gave near-unanimous approval to the bill, which represents a major step for LBGT rights on the island, which only legalised divorce in 2011 and where abortion is outlawed.
Malta, the European Union's smallest nation, becomes the bloc's 15th country to legalise same-sex unions.
"It's a historic vote. This shows that our democracy and society have reached a level of maturity and we can now say that we are all equal," he said after the text was passed.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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