Wednesday, July 2, 2025

3 years after court ruling, Puebla lawmakers approve same-sex marriage

After three hours of debate, Puebla’s state Congress voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to change the state civil code to recognize same-sex marriage, a highly anticipated move that comes years after Puebla’s ban against same-sex marriage was struck down by a court order.

The vote came three years after the Supreme Court (SCJN) upheld the legality of same-sex marriage in the state in 2017, when it struck down as unconstitutional the articles of Puebla’s civil code defining marriage and common-law marriage as between a man and a woman.

Yesterday’s vote, which passed 31-5, officially changed parts of the civil code to be in compliance with the court decision, changing gender-specific references in parts of the civil code that referred to marriage and to common-law relationships from “man and woman” to “persons.”

The part of the civil code relating to marriage will now state, “Marriage is a civil contract by which two persons who join together voluntarily in society in order to carry out a life together with respect, mutual aid, and an equality of rights and obligations.”

The vote was not without controversy. Some opposition lawmakers accused the governing Morena party, which holds the governorship and a majority in the state Congress, of bad faith and trying to curry favor with voters in next year’s elections.

They said similar legislation was proposed last year by a coalition of opposition parties but Morena members turned it down.

By contrast, the lawmakers said, Morena quickly passed the changes within eight days of the bill being proposed.

An August survey by pollster Massive Caller predicted that Morena would defeat its main opposition, the National Action Party, next June but by a narrow margin of only 2.2%.

Yesterday’s vote makes Puebla the 19th state to approve same-sex marriage.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
people releasing fish in shallow water

Environment Ministry releases 40,000 baby totoaba into the Gulf of California

0
The Environment Ministry, working with the private sector and civil society, has been conducting a repopulation project that included the recent release of 40,000 hatchlings.
crematorium in Ciudad Juárez

2 arrests made after 383 bodies found piled up at Ciudad Juárez crematorium

0
The crematorium, which had the permits to operate, was housing corpses for as long as five years and reportedly gave relatives of the deceased "other material" in place of ashes.
a person registering their fingerprints

Senate grants Security Ministry broad data access powers, sparking ‘police state’ fears

8
The federal government argues that the National Investigation and Intelligence System Law, popularly referred to as the "Spy Law," is required to bolster the state's capacity to combat organized crime.