Ecuador's highest court backs same-sex marriage Wed June 12,2019

Ecuador's highest court has approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the small and traditionally Catholic country

The Constitutional Court said on Wednesday that same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed-door hearing

LGBT and human rights activists celebrated the decision in the capital, Quito, and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flag of the gay rights movement.

With the ruling, Ecuador joins other South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in recognising same-sex marriage.


The decision came as the court ruled on lawsuits by two male couples who wanted to wed.

The four dissenting judges in Wednesday's ruling argued that in order to recognise same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.

Ecuador's current constitution defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. The charter, which was ratified in 2008, also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.

However, the judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal and said they wanted to counter any kind of discrimination

Ecuador has recognised de-facto civil unions for same-sex couples for years, but civil partners enjoy fewer rights than married couples when it comes to inheritance and estate laws.

In the ruling, the judges instructed Congress to pass legislation ensuring equal treatment for all under the country's marriage law.