Swiss government supports ‘marriage for all’

More than a dozen European countries legally recognise and perform same-sex marriages. Keystone / Philipp Von Ditfurth

The government has come out in favour of a proposal to give homosexual couples the right to marry quickly but believes the issue of medically assisted procreation should be addressed at a later stage. 

Parliament is currently drafting a bill that would give all couples the chance to exchange vows.  

The government has already spoken out several times in favor of eliminating unequal treatment between heterosexual and homosexual couples.  However, like parliament’s legal affairs committee, it nevertheless believes that it is necessary to proceed gradually.  

The government on Wednesday also said a legal amend would be sufficient to allow gay and lesbian marriages without changes to the country’s constitution. 

Couples who have already entered into a registered partnership should be able to convert it into marriage quickly and without excessive formalities, according to the government statement. 

It added that the regulation of survivors’ pensions or access to medically assisted procreation are, however, delicate political questions. Integrating them into the project could jeopardize the reform as a whole or delay its entry into force by several years.

A global snapshot

What is the situation for rainbow families in other European countries?