According to the projections related to the referendum on same-sex marriage in Switzerland, 60% of voters have supported the new measure that will empower same-sex couples with new rights related to the adoption of children. Since 2007, same-sex couples can register the partnership in Switzerland but their rights have been restricted in some manners. In the run-up to this referendum, many conservative politicians and Church-based groups opposed the idea of same-sex marriage as they feel this will lead to undermining of the conventional family system in the country.
According to the new measure, same-sex couples will be allowed to adopt children unrelated to them while lesbian couples can have the children through the process of sperm donation. Antonia Hauswirth, national committee member of Marriage for All, said that supporters of the new measure will celebrate in the capital city Bern on Sunday. Talking to the news agency Reuters, Hauswirth said that they were very happy and felt relieved.
Monika Rueegger, on the other hand, expressed her disappointment and said that children and fathers are real losers as the measure seems all set to come into force. Rueegger is a politician belonging to the Swiss People party which is known for its leaning towards right-wing philosophy. She is a staunch opponent of the same-sex marriage measure. Emphasizing that this measure is going to undermine the welfare of the children, Rueegger underlined that it’s not about feelings and love but rather how the children’s welfare will get impacted in the future because of this new measure. Polling was closed at 10:00 GMT (12:00 local time) and the results are expected to get declared soon.
