The British House of Commons Approved Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill 2012-2013

The British House of Commons voted on 5 February 2013 to pass the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill 2012-2013, which legalise same-sex marriage in UK. The bill received votes of 400 to 175. It is important to note that the bill is strongly supported by the Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Bill was presented in the UK Parliament on 24 January 2013. The legislation applied to Wales and England. This would allow civil marriage between the couples of same sex. However, the Church of England as well as certain other faiths was exempted from the obligation of performing such ceremonies. Certain faith groups such as Quakers announced that legal right was required for performing the same-sex marriages.

The bill will now have to pass in House of Lords. In the House of Commons, 127 out of 303 Conservative lawmakers voted in favour of the bill while 136 voted against it. 5 remained absent while 35 did not register their vote.

Majority of the votes which approved the bill came from Labour Party, which is in opposition, as well as the Liberal Democrats, the center-left party. These two parties are in coalition with the Conservatives.

If the Bill is approved, it would put Britain on path of some of the other European nations such as Denmark, Netherlands and Spain, which open the marriage to the homosexuals.