Swiss voters stare set to have the last word on a historic same-sex marriage law after opponents on Monday handed in signatures demanding a national referendum. Around 59000 verified signatures were handed in by a committee in Bern,two days after the collection deadline ran out to challenge the “marriage for all” law approved in parliament last December. Under the Swiss system of direct democracy, a law passed by parliament can be brought to national referendum whether 50000 signatures are collected within a window of 100 days. The committee – made up mainly of members of the small, and highly conservative Federal Democratic Union and the large rightwing People’s Party – argue that same-sex marriage warrants not merely a original law but a constitutional change. They also say allowing lesbian couples access to sperm donation procedures is “legally and morally questionable”,and that the well-being of children needs to be considered. The “marriage for all” project was accepted by a large...
Source: swissinfo.ch