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| Italy gay rights: Senate backs watered-down civil union bill | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Senate in Italy has approved a watered-down bill allowing civil unions for same-sex and heterosexual couples. | |
| The motion was backed by a 173-71 vote after a deal was reached to a remove a provision allowing gay adoptions and other clauses. | |
| Gay groups earlier described the bill, which still needs to be backed by the lower house, as a betrayal. | |
| Italy is the only major Western European country with no civil partnerships or gay marriage. | |
| 'Lacking heart' | |
| Prime Minister Matteo Renzi - who had long promised to pass a civil unions bill - described Thursday's vote as "historic". | |
| However, he had to agree to remove the gay adoption provision to overcome opposition from a number of lawmakers in the overwhelmingly Catholic country. | |
| "This text once again does not take into consideration children who need definite laws and protection," Flavio Romani, president of gay rights group Arcigay, was quoted as saying by Reuters. | |
| "The law that has come out of all this is lacking its heart," he added. | |
| Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy had violated human rights by failing to offer enough legal protection for same-sex couples. | |
| A small number of municipalities in Italy currently allow local civil unions but there is a national ban on same-sex marriage and the benefits of the existing provision are limited. | |
| Last month, tens of thousands of people marched in cities across the country, demanding legal recognition for same-sex couples. |