France Confirms Ban on Gay Marriage

Ban on same-sex marriage was confirmed by France's Constitutional Court. Photo by EPA/BGNES

France's Constitutional Court has confirmed that the ban on gay marriage was in keeping with the constitution and rejected the appeal of a lesbian couple with four kids.

According to Deutsche Welle, the judges ruled that a marriage was legal only between a man and a woman.

In this way, they rejected the bid of Corinne Cestino and Sophie Hasslauer to overturn the French ban on same-sex marriage.

The couple are female teacher and pediatrician who have lived together for 15 years and have four children.

The court rejected the couple's argument that the two articles in the French Civil Code defining marriage were unconstitutional and discriminatory against homosexuals.

However, the judges tossed the ball to the parliament to decide whether the ban should be overturned.

Although the couple currently enjoys tax benefits and other financial advantages, they feel they should be entitled to further benefits that marriage would bring.

"Marriage is the only solution in terms of protecting our children, sharing parental authority, settling inheritance problems and eventual custody if one of us were to die," they told journalists before the ruling.

While many European states recognize homosexual civil unions, only Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Iceland legally acknowledge same-sex marriage.

France, Germany, Britain, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Great Britain have adopted legislation on civil partnerships instead.

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