Bill on same sex partnerships rejected

The Lower House of Parliament on Friday narrowly rejected a bill on same sex partnerships. Following heated debate and several previous rejections in the Lower House, the bill was short of just one vote for approval. Representatives of the Association of Gays and Lesbians said they were disappointed but would continue to lobby for it. The law would have given gays and lesbians the right to marry, to inherit property from their partners and enquire about their partner's state of health. It would not have enabled them to adopt a child. The bill's opponents, predominantly of the Christian Democratic Party, argue that it would undermine the institution of the family in Czech society.