Charity calls for civil partnerships to be made available to heterosexual couples
A prominent charity is calling for civil partnerships to be opened up to heterosexual couples in Scotland.
The news comes shortly after Northern Ireland made history at the end of July, by being the first UK country to make civil partnerships available to all – and simultaneously the last UK country to legalise same-sex marriage.
Now, the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) is calling upon the Scottish Government to consider similar reforms – after the Government announced controversial plans to phase out civil partnership legislation, following the country’s adoption of same-sex marriage.
According to an HSS spokesperson, the Scottish Government is treating civil partnerships as if they were “a stop-gap measure, short of full equality,” despite the fact that several heterosexual and same-sex couples believe that civil partnerships offer ‘greater freedom’ to celebrate their relationships.
“Earlier this year I was approached by a mixed-sex couple who were looking to get a civil partnership, however had to get married instead as that wasn’t an option for them,” said HSS spokesperson, Ross Wright.
“Many mixed-sex couples who are in a second, or subsequent relationship, do not wish to get married for various reasons and civil partnerships give such couples a route to legal protection, and security,” he added.
A study conducted by the HSS seeking the opinions of a broad range of couples recently revealed a public desire for “the advantages and protection” of civil partnerships without “the perceived ties of marriage”.
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