France adopts gay marriage law after strong debate

France’s lower house National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a bill legalising same-sex marriages and adoptions for gay couples, defying months of opposition protests.

In its second and final reading, a majority of lawmakers approved the bill by a vote of 331 to 225.

“After 136 hours and 46 minutes of debate, Parliament has adopted the law opening marriage to same-sex couples,” the Socialist speaker of the Assembly, Claude Bartolone, said after the vote.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira hailed the adoption of the bill as a “historic” moment in French history.

“It grants new rights, stands firmly against discrimination (and) testifies to our country’s respect for the institution of marriage,” she said in a statement shortly after the vote.

“This law ... brightens the horizons of many of our citizens who were deprived of these rights,” she said.