by Rex Wockner
INTERNATIONAL NEWS #738
Norway's Parliament legalized same-sex marriage June 11 in an 84-41 vote.
Support came from the three-party ruling coalition as well as two opposition parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals. The Christian Democrats and the Progress Party opposed the move.
Norway has had a registered-partnership law that gives gay couples nearly all rights of marriage since 1993, but some new rights will come along with the word "marriage." They include access to church weddings, adoption and state-funded artificial insemination.
The legislation requires that sperm donors be identified so that children born to lesbian couples will be able to find their fathers if they want to.
Gay couples will be allowed to begin marrying in about six months.
Same-sex marriage also is allowed in Belgium, California, Canada, Massachusetts, the Netherlands, South Africa and Spain. Canada and California have no residency requirement for marriage and visitors often can complete the process in a single day.
