Same-sex marriage Bill published

A Bill to allow same-sex couples to marry in Scotland has been published by the Scottish Government.

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill offers protections for religious bodies and individual celebrants, and also makes it clear that freedom of speech is unaffected.

Under the plans, religious bodies who wish to perform same-sex marriage will have to opt in. If a body does decide to perform same-sex marriages, protection will also be in place for individual celebrants who consider such ceremonies to be contrary to their faith.

The Scottish Government has also confirmed that a review will be undertaken on the Civil Partnership Act 2004 in Scotland, driven by the need to consider the position on opposite-sex civil partnership.

Should the Bill reach Royal Assent in early 2014, it is anticipated that the first same-sex marriages will take place in 2015. It will take around 12 months to put the legislation in place.

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