Brazil Congress Rejects Gay Adoption
August 21, 2008 by James Hipps · 1 Comment
The lower house of Congress in Brazil has rejected part of a pending law that would have allowed gay couples to adopt children.
A statement came down Wednesday from the Chamber of Deputies saying a measure that would give gay couples the right to adopt was withdrawn because Brazilian federal law does not recognize same-sex civil unions.
A proposal which would grant same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples has been pending in Brazil’s Congress for over 10 years. This has prompted many states to take action on their own.
Same-sex civil unions have been permitted in in Southern Rio Grande do Sul since 2004. In 2006 a Sao Paulo state court allowed a gay couple to adopt a 5-year-old girl.
The bill will now returns to Brazil’s Senate for further debate.
