|
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 5) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which allows same-sex couples to marry in Scotland since 16 December 2014. The bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 26 June 2013 by Alex Neil MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. The bill passed Stage 3 on 4 February 2014. It received Royal Assent on 12 March 2014. The Act does not contain provisions to allow existing civil partnerships registered in Scotland to be converted into marriage, but includes provision for its later introduction into law; it will permit those already in civil partnership with one another to marry without first dissolving the mutual civil partnership. ==Background== As marriage is neither reserved nor excepted to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Scottish Parliament has legislative competence to make changes to marriage law. In January 2009, a petition was drawn up by Nick Henderson, director of gay rights group the LGBT Network, to be submitted to the Scottish Parliament. The petition called for a change to the law that disallows two people of the same sex from getting married, by amending the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977. The petition also called for allowing same-sex marriage ceremonies to be performed by faith groups, but only if the religious institution gives consent. As well as political support from the Leader of the Labour Party in the European Parliament, Glenis Willmott MEP and veteran gay rights activist Michael Cashman MEP, the petition has drawn the signatures and support of Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson and of eight church leaders, both Episcopalian and Church of Scotland. The Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost of the Scottish Episcopal St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, has often spoken of his willingness and desire to perform valid same sex marriages in his church, and is a key supporter of the petition. It also attracted high profile support from Labour MSP George Foulkes. The petition closed on 6 March, having gathered 1007 signatures.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Scottish Parliament e-petitions: Right to same sex marriage )〕 On 17 March 2009, the Petitions Committee unanimously agreed to question the Scottish Government on whether and when it planned to amend the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 to allow same sex marriages. They also requested that a reason be provided if an amendment could not be considered. In March 2009, shortly before submission of the LGBT Network's petition to the Scottish Parliament, NUS Scotland established an Equal Marriage Campaign, launching a similar petition to the Scottish Parliament and calling for the amendment of legislation to allow same-sex marriage and mixed-sex civil partnerships in Scotland, although the petition itself did not distinguish between civil and religious marriage. This campaign attracted the support of a number of MSPs and MEPs, as well as activist organisations and individuals.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Equal Marriage Pledge )〕 The petition closed on 1 September 2009, having gathered 1,317 signatures.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Scottish Parliament e-petitions: Right to same-sex marriage and mixed-sex civil partnership )〕 On 8 September the Petitions Committee convened after a summer recess, and agreed to contact the Government seeking responses to specific points raised in both petitions and the discussion.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Public Petitions Committee Minutes of Proceedings )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Public Petitions Committee Official Report 8 September 2009 )〕 On 1 December 2009, the Petitions Committee decided to seek a meeting between a government minister and the petitioners, as well as enquire as to whether the Government might consider setting up an advisory committee of interested parties. The Government rejected the petition, as legalising same-sex marriage in Scotland only would require changes in non-devolved matters such as the areas of immigration, pensions and inheritance law all of which would have to be done at national level. The head of the government's equality unit Hilary Third said that although from an equalities point of view "equal marriage is where we want to be" it would be a "difficult situation" if same-sex marriage was legal in Scotland but not England. In 2011 Her Majesty's Government announced a consultation on the legalising of same-sex marriage in England and Wales would be held, and it began in March 2012. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|