Lawmakers in Slovenia on Wednesday
approved a plan to hold a vote on whether to implement legislation
which would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Voters will weigh in on the issue on
December 20, the
AFP reported.
The referendum is a response to a
parliamentary bill adopted in March which allows gay couples to marry
and adopt children.
The conservative group “Children Are
At Stake,” which is backed by the Roman Catholic Church, gathered
the 40,000 signatures needed to put the law up to a vote.
For the recall effort to succeed, more
than 20 percent of the electorate must take part in the referendum
and a majority must vote against it.
Gay rights foes used a similar strategy
in 2011 to push back passage of a civil partnership bill that offered
gay couples all the rights of marriage except joint adoption.