Aruba approves of Civil Unions for same-sex couples

Aruba has finally voted to approve civil unions for same-sex couples, allowing them to have the same benefits married people have on the island.

Newnownext reports that the Aruban government voted 11-5 on Thursday (September 8) to amend marriage regulations to allow same-sex unions including access to spousal pensions and authority to make medical decisions.

Aruba is located in the Caribbean Sea and is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands where same-sex marriage is legal. Before the vote, same-sex couples who wanted to get married had to travel to the Netherlands to do so until now.

Senator Desireee de Sousa-Croes, who made a trip to Netherlands to marry her partner, introduced a civil-unions bill in August. Speaking after the vote Desiree said:

“I would have wanted same-sex marriage. but this amendment will eliminate the need to travel to the Netherlands to marry, as our laws will soon provide rights for same-sex couples.”

Many Arubans still oppose same-sex relationships on religious grounds and other Caribbean countries such as Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica and more.

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