European Court: Gay Marriage Not a Human Right

The Telegraph reports on the recent ruling from the European Court on Human Rights:

The ruling follows the launch of a consultation over gay marriage in the UK, in which the Equalities Minister promised a change in the law.

The European Court of Human Rights reached the decision in the case of a lesbian couple in a civil partnership in France, who complained they would not be allowed to adopt a child as a couple, according to the Daily Mail.

The pair, Valerie Gas and Nathalie Dubois, had tried to establish marriage rights under anti-discrimination laws but the judges said there had been no discrimination.

The court heard how the women had wanted Miss Gas to be allowed to adopt Miss Dubois’s 11 year-old daughter.

But the judges in Strasbourg said: “The European Convention on Human Rights does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage.”

“With regard to married couples, the court considers that in view of the social, personal, and legal consequences of marriage, the applicants’ legal situation could not be said to be comparable to that of married couples,” the judges added.

On the issue of gay unions, the judges said: “Where national legislation recognises registered partnerships between same sex, member states should aim to ensure that their legal status and their rights and obligations are equivalent to those of heterosexual couples in a similar situation.”

More here .