Could New Zealand be the next country to grant same sex marriage rights?
It will be, if NZ Prime Minister John Key has his way.
Speaking to RadioLive NZ on July 30, Key said he would use a conscience vote to support MP Louisa Wall‘s Marriage Equality Bill which was pulled from Parliament last week.
Key commented: “My view has been that if two gay people want to get married then I can’t see why it would undermine my marriage to Bronagh (his wife). There will be plenty of people in our caucus who will be deeply opposed – particularly the very religious right and I can understand that.”
Key suggested further debates would be necessary if there was to be any hope of the bill passing. He suggested that the debates would be as “dramatic” as that heard over homosexual law reform many years ago.
Opinion polls show 64% of New Zealanders are in favour of same sex marriage – up from 40% when they were originally polled in 2004