Days after Angela Merkel changed course to allow deputies in her party a free vote, the Bundestag in Germany passed same-sex marriage by a majority of 393 to 226. The legislation also grants same-sex couples full adoption rights. Mrs Merkel herself voted no to the bill. “For me, marriage in the German constitution is between a man and a woman. That’s why I voted no today,” Mrs Merkel told journalists after the vote. Some advocates of the move blasted Ms Merkel for opportunism for having opposed the redefinition of marriage for years, only to do an about face in the run up to an election where it was to be a major issue of the opposition Social Democrats (SDP) party. Justin Huggler of the Telegraph said, “By allowing a snap vote, Mrs Merkel has effectively removed gay marriage as an election issue and robbed Mr Schulz [of the SDP] of one of the few policy areas on which he could claim more popular support than her.