Slovenia boosts rights of same-sex couples
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Slovenia has introduced a law on same-sex partnership that grants legal rights to gay unions but does not allow them to adopt or undergo in-vitro fertilization.
The measures formally came into effect Friday after they were approved last year. Same-sex unions now enjoy the same legal protection as married couples in areas including social and health care benefits.
Slovenians in 2015 rejected in a referendum a bill that envisaged full equality of same-sex couples. Authorities then changed the law to reflect the vote result.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Simon Maljevac from the LGBT group Legebitra, described the law as "a step in right direction."
Though Slovenia is among the most liberal eastern European countries, gay rights remain a contentious topic in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation of 2 million.