Hungarian Government Proposes Registered-Partnership Law

After the Hungarian Parliament's human-rights committee refused to open debate on a bill to allow same-sex marriage, the government has submitted a proposal to create registered partnerships for gay and straight couples.

The measure would extend spousal rights in the areas of inheritance, social benefits and use of common property.

Gay activists, who predict the bill almost certainly will pass, plan to continue the push for access to full marriage in order to gain all the rights of matrimony and because separate schemes do not create true equality, they said.