Paris - France's ruling left-wing coalition suffered a severe setback yesterday when one of its pet projects, proposed legislation recognising homosexual and heterosexual couples living outside marriage, was thrown out of the National Assembly, writes Lara Marlowe. The law would give couples who register with a French court similar inheritance, welfare, housing and tax rights to those of married couples. Religious leaders and the opposition right opposed the PACS, saying it constituted "gay marriage" and would lead to homosexuals adopting children.
The procedural motion filed by the right succeeded because left-wing deputies could not be bothered to show up in sufficient numbers. With a temporary majority, right-wing parliamentarians demanded a vote. Downcast Socialists scheduled a new debate for October 24th-25th. They said they could not disappoint five million French people who live together outside marriage, and 39 per cent of French children who are now born out of wedlock.