Times: Time for law on divorce, civil partnership for homosexuals - FZL

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100604/local/time-for-law-on-divorce-civil-partnership-for-homosexuals-fzl
Friday, 4th June 2010 - 14:40CET

The law regulating cohabitation was necessary but should not be discussed in isolation, the Forum Zghazagh Laburisti said.

In a reaction to proposals made by Parliament's Social Affairs Committee, the FZL insisted that the time had come to speak on a whole package of legal measures related to the family.

It said that a law on cohabitation was necessary for peace of mind. There could not be couples who would have been cohabiting and building their assets together for years but one party would not have any rights on succession following the death of the other party.

One could also not allow a situation of a woman rearing children born out of a relationship outside marriage for years at the home of her partner and she would then be thrown out of the house without any rights because the partner would have become fed up of the relationship.

At the same time, the FZL believed that the proposals were not addressing new realities being met by individuals whose experience in marriage would not have gone as desired.

The government, it said, should push forward a law on divorce as soon as possible. The time had also come for homosexual couples to have the right for a civil partnership.

The Prime Minister's declaration that there had to be discussions on divorce was not enough. Discussions had been going on for scores of years and serious and responsible legislation should now start to be prepared.

But it seemed that the Prime Minister had neither the will, nor the courage to do this.

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