Confused, Costa Rica May Have Approved Same-Sex Marriage

Costa Rica may have approved same-sex marriage by complete accident, not understanding the full meaning of pending legislation.

According to a local Costa Rican newspaper called La Nacion, lawmakers approved a bill recently that changed article 22 of the “Law of Young People.” The bill had previously defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, until a liberal lawmaker wrote into the bill new marriage language that extends such notion. If the bill actually passes in Costa Rica, it will be the sixth country in Latin America to approve same-sex unions.

The Huffington Post reports that lawmakers are now going crazy after realizing that they accidentally approved same-sex marriage by voting on the new bill which states:

“The right to recognition without discrimination contrary to human dignity, social and economic effects of domestic partnerships that constitute publicly, notoriously unique and stable, with legal capacity for marriage for more than three years.”

One lawmaker by the name of Manrique Oviedo is urging Costa Rica’s president Laura Chinchilla to veto the bill. Oviedo says he “feels deceived” and “made a mistake” when voting for the bill.

Another lawmaker, Jose Maria Villalta, said that conservative lawmakers didn’t read the bill in its entirety before approving it, and stated that this has now opened the doors for recognizing the rights of same-sex couples to marry.