Portugal’s legislators have voted against allowing gay couples to adopt.
In a vote on January 22nd the Lisbon parliament rejected a move by opposition parties, Socialist, Left Bloc and Greens, to update existing gay marriage legislation to accommodate adoption by same-sex couples. The defeat came after the ruling Social Democrats allowed a free vote on the matter by its own deputies.
When Portugal made provision for gay marriage in 2010, it excluded any provision on adoption, and attenpts to introduce draft legislation on the issue have been deafeated in each of the last three years, though current laws allow for the adoption by a gay person as an individual.
In Ireland, the Government wants to pass a law that will allow for adoption by same-sex couples before the planned marriage referendum in May.
