NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      THE HAGUE (CWNews.com) - The cabinet of the Dutch government on Thursday approved a proposed bill that would effectively legalize same-sex marriage in the country.

      The law must be passed by the full parliament but the Labour Party-dominated ruling coalition holds a large majority of seats. The measure allows homosexuals and lesbians to marry in a civil ceremony, granting them the same legal rights as heterosexual married couples. "Civil marriage will be made available to people of the same sex. It will be possible to transform existing registered partnerships into marriages," the cabinet said in a statement.

      The Netherlands had already legalized registration of homosexual partnerships without granting the full range of rights enjoyed by married couples. The cabinet said there were no objective reasons to prohibit same-sex marriage.