Germany Ponders More Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships

A group of lawmakers from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats called this month for same-sex couples in civil partnerships to be given the same tax breaks as heterosexual married couples, WORLD News Service reports. This continues a trend in Europe toward legal recognition of same-sex relationships, but the idea faces skepticism among some of Merkel's traditionally-minded German colleagues, who may be wondering about the long-term effects of the European experiment with sexual radicalism. Granting same-sex couples the same income tax breaks enjoyed by heterosexual married couples would add to a string of departures from conservative orthodoxy under Merkel's leadership, which have included abandoning military conscription and speeding up Germany's exit from nuclear power. In Germany, same-sex couples have been able to register civil partnerships that legally fall short of formal marriage since 2001. Heterosexual married couples can, unlike same-sex couples, reduce their tax burden by filing joint income tax returns, thus paying less than single taxpayers.