Terminally ill patient among the first to have a same-sex civil union in Italy
By Will Stroude
Requests for same-sex unions have started rolling in at town halls across Italy as laws allowing same-sex civil unions came into effect, according to reports in DW.
Italy is the last major country in Western Europe to legalise civil unions. The law, which was passed in May this year, faced fierce opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, resulting in huge protests.
The Catholic Church still oppose civil unions, however, with one bishop telling Italian paper Repubblica that it was an example of “creeping fascism”.
According to reports, the first union took place between a woman and her terminally ill partner, a teacher called Margherita, who had been together for 28 years, on Wednesday (July 28). The ceremony took place in intensive care.
Milano, prima unione civile in extremis: si avvera il sogno di Margherita, malata terminale https://t.co/4CSAR0zung
— Repubblica (@repubblica) July 28, 2016
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