The French parliament has rejected a bill legalising same-sex marriage. 
The bill, proposed by the opposition Socialist Party, was defeated on Tuesday.
The vote reflected opposition to gay marriage among President Nicolas Sarkozy’s governing conservatives and the strain of traditional values that runs through many parts of France.
The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, turned down the measure by 293 votes to 222. Opposition was led by Sarkozy’s UMP, while Socialists and other leftists supported the bill, which said “marriage can be contracted by two people of different sexes or of the same sex.”
During the debate, Michel Difenbacher of the majority Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party said he thought it was not necessary “to go with the wind nor to cede to fashion” with regard to the issue.
“We are against homophobia but we do not want to alter the image and function of marriage” within society, Difenbacher said.
Earlier this year, France’s highest court ruled that laws banning same-sex marriage don’t violate the constitution or go against the principle of equal treatment. The esteemed Constitutional Court said any change would be up to parliament to decide.
In France, same-sex couples can form civil unions, but those do not confer inheritance rights or joint custody of goods, among other things.
A January poll published by Canal Plus TV found 58 percent of respondents in France believe homosexuals should be able to marry, up from 45 percent five years ago. No margin of error was given.
However, in the US polls frequently show a majority in support of gay marriage but in 31 states out of 31 where the issue has been put to the vote, voters have opted for traditional marriage.