Top French Constitutional Court Rejects Challenge To Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

In Mme Corinne C. et autre, (Conseil Const., Jan. 28, 2011) [in French], France's Constitutional Council held that provisions in French law barring same-sex marriage violate neither Constitutional equal protection principles,  nor the protected right to lead a normal family life. C-Fam summarized the ruling as follows:

The Council ruled last Friday that because of the difference of situations between same-sex and heterosexual couples, the difference in treatment in family laws is justified and not in violation of the principle of equality. As for the right to a normal family life, the court found that the pacte civil de solidarité, a form of civil union that accords a plethora of legal, fiscal, and official benefits, is sufficient for a "normal family life."

C-Fam also reported that France's Socialist Party plans to call for a vote in Parliament on same-sex marriage this summer and that activists may appeal this decision to the European Court of Human Rights. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]