Swiss voters decide to allow same-sex marriage on Sunday

A flag is pictured ahead of the casting vote on same-sex marriage in Bern, Switzerland, October 8, 2021. No, I will REUTERS Denis Balibouse. Flag reads: Yes, I will REUTERS Denis Balibouse.

ZURICH, Sept 22 : Reuters - Swiss voters decide on Sunday whether to allow same-sex couples to wed and adopt children after a highly charged campaign pitted gay rights activists against traditionalists in one of the last Western European countries to still ban gay marriage.

The federal government and parliament have blocked civil marriage to same-sex couples, but opponents forced a referendum on the issue under the Swiss system of direct democracy.

In a provocative campaign, opponents of the reform used images of crying babies and the word slaves written over dark-skinned pregnant Bellies in a reference to surrogacy that is illegal in Switzerland, in stark contrast to supporters waving Yes I do rainbow flags at Zürich pride parades.

Showing the no-campaign in the traditionally Christian and conservative Switzerland had gained traction in recent weeks, the share of voters set to approve same-sex marriage to 63% in the latest poll by gfs.bern for broadcaster SRG, while the share of opposition rose to 35%, against 69% to 29% a month earlier.

Zurich residents Anouk Oswald and Corinne Guntern, a young same-sex couple, said that the 'Marriage for All" vote represented an important milestone for their future.

I want to be able to choose for myself whether I want to marry this partner next to me and if it is the right path for us to start a family, Oswald, 30, told Reuters. It's important to show the younger generation that you don't need to hide. Guntern, also 30, said it was not fair that a single woman could adopt a child while a same-sex couple could not.

Of course, a child needs safety and love but I don't think it makes a difference whether that's given by a straight or gay couple, she said.

Under the amended law, both male and female same-sex couples would be allowed to adopt children unrelated to them in the same way as their heterosexual counterparts.

Married heterosexual couples would also be allowed to have children for married couples through sperm donation, which is currently legal only for married lesbian couples. Under the Law, both women would be called from birth as the official parents of a child.

Antonia Hauswirth of National Committee Marriage for All told Reuters the current adoption procedure could take three years. When something happens to the biological mother during this period, the child is considered an orphan. The proposed scheme would give children born from a sperm donation two parents at birth and, therefore, better legal protection, the girl said.

Opponents say the changes would deprive children of father.

Tomorrow, a child will still have a mother in Switzerland, but just an 'other parent' instead of a father. The father just gets deleted from the civil code, that's not acceptable to me, Olivier Dehaudt, member of a referendum committee objecting to the proposal, told Reuters.

The proposed legislative changes would also open an easier path to citizenship for the foreign spouse of a Swiss citizen.