Referendum in Switzerland, yes to gay marriages

Approved with 64%. Homosexual couples will also be able to adopt

“Yes, I want”. This was the response of the Swiss to the referendum on gay marriage: called today to the polls to rule on the amendment of the Civil Code which opens civil marriage also to homosexual couples, the voters approved with 64.1%, a very clear percentage and slightly higher than that predicted by the polls.

The text was also approved by all cantons, even the most conservative ones: in Ticino, yeses were 52.9%. “The step taken by the people today is an important step,” said Justice Minister Karin-Keller Sutter on behalf of the government. “It is a clear message sent to the homosexual community: their love is just as precious as that of heterosexual couples and they are equally good parents”, echoed the socialist Olga Baranova, director of the campaign for ‘Marriage for all’ cited by ‘ Keystone-ATS agency. Moreover, he added, “it is an excellent response to the hate campaign conducted by our opponents”, who have centered the campaign for the No by denouncing the planned donation of sperm in favor of lesbian couples “at the expense of the rights of the child”. With the approval of civil marriage for all, homosexual couples will be able to marry, but also have children. The new law allows all married couples to jointly adopt a child and female couples to access sperm donation. Finally, if one of the two spouses is of foreign nationality, he / she will be able to benefit from a facilitated naturalization procedure. Anonymous sperm donations, as well as the use of surrogate mothers, remain prohibited.