CHILE: President Pushes Civil Unions

Yesterday Chilean President Sebastian Pinera proposed a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions.

"All forms of marriage deserve respect, dignity and the support of the state," said President Sebastian Pinera, who signed the proposal and sent it to Congress. "This puts opposite-sex and same-sex couples on the same footing, because in both cases it is possible to develop love, affection and respect." Pinera, who brought conservatives to power after 20 years of center-left rule in the country, grated on his own election campaign when he announced his intention to legalize civil unions for gay couples. He said two million people in Chile live together without marrying. But the president has repeatedly stressed his opposition to gay marriage. "I deeply believe that marriage is by nature between a man and a woman, but that conviction does not prevent me from recognizing that other forms of affective relationships exist," he said.