Thailand's equal marriage bill gets overwhelming support from MPs
The equal marriage bill that allows people of all genders to marry legally sailed through the second and third readings in the House of Representatives with overwhelming support from members of Parliament.
The parliamentary debate on Wednesday saw as many as 399 lawmakers voting in favour of the equal marriage bill, with 10 dissenting, two not voting and three abstentions.
Danuporn Punnakan, a member of a committee vetting the bill, said that the amendment of the law was done for all Thais, under Section 4 of the current Constitution which stipulates “the dignity, rights, and freedom of people must be equally protected”.
The 39-member committee was formed after the House in December last year showed the green light to four gender equality bills proposed by the Move Forward and Democrat parties, the civil sector, and the government. The four drafts were to be merged into one for the second and third readings.
Danuporn, who is also a lawmaker of the ruling party, said that the bill comprised 68 sections, focusing on three issues.
He said some wordings in the bill were changed and that the minimum age for engagement was changed to 18 years old.
The committee has also raised the required age for marriage from 17 years to 18 years, regardless of gender, he said.
During the debate, MPs from the coalition Prachachart Party said that they would not allow a quorum of the meeting as the bill contradicted the Islamic principle.
The approval of the law also gained support from netizens as the hashtag #สมรสเท่าเทียม (equal marriage) became most popular on the X micro-blogging site.
The bills will need to undergo a three-reading process in the Senate, and obtain royal assent before being enacted.
If the equal marriage law makes it through this process, Thailand would become the first nation in ASEAN and the third in Asia, following Taiwan and Nepal, to recognise same-sex marriage
