Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013
Viscount Ullswater Excerpts(10 years, 3 months ago)
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Viscount Ullswater (Con)
My Lords, when will the Government amend the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 to include heterosexual civil partnerships? This would even up the playing field for those who do not wish to get married, especially those in later life who need financial security but do not want to upset their children.
Baroness Northover
My Lords, as my noble friend no doubt knows, a review came out of that Act, and the conclusion was that there is no settled view on what should happen here. Probably one of the key things—one has seen this in other countries—is that when equal marriage is in place, changes occur. So there is something to be said for looking at what people want—whether they want civil partnerships to be open to heterosexuals, so that there is equality, or whether people will stop opting for civil partnerships if equal marriage is available.