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The British Government is planning to remove sex from the law of marriage, so that same-sex couples can be wed.
In current British law marriage is not official until a man and woman have “ordinary and complete” sexual intercourse, which means same-sex couples cannot meet the requirement.
Tory MP Edward Leigh says the move will create legal chaos for people caught in sexless marriages.
Currently non-consummation of a marriage is a ground for the union to be annulled and Mr Leigh warned such a change to the law will have “profound effects”.
Leigh said that amending the country’s Marriage Act would result in reducing the current legal definition of marriage to a civil partnership, to which same-sex partners already have access.
Last week it was revealed that Conservative MPs – including ministers – will be free to vote according to their consciences on the issue of redefining marriage.
Prominent Labour politician Ed Balls recently spoke out in favor of same-sex marriage, saying that his late gay uncle would have wanted the right to marry his long-term partner.
Balls is also of the view that gay couples should have the right to marry in a church: “I think people should be able to get married in church too…I really hope the government will look at that proposal as well. This is something whose time has come.”
Sources
- The Sun
- The Christian Post
- Image: The Local
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News category: World.
