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Top Philippine court refuses to legalise gay marriage
- In a unanimous decision, the country’s Supreme Court threw out the case primarily because the plaintiff had never tried to get married
- Few legal protections and rights exist for same-sex relationships in the Philippines, where conservative Catholic values are deep-seated
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A landmark case to legalise gay marriage was rejected by the Philippines’ highest court on Tuesday, but LGBT advocates in the deeply Catholic nation vowed to push their battle in the legislature.
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Lead plaintiff Jesus Falcis had said the current law was a violation of his rights, but in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court threw out his case primarily on technical grounds.
Government lawyers argued Falcis had never tried to get married, thus would not benefit if justices struck down the portions of the 1987 law defining marriage as between a man and woman.
Though the Philippines has a reputation for being accepting of same-sex relationships, few legal protections and rights exist in a nation where conservative Catholic values are deep-seated.
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Abortion is illegal and the country of about 107 million is the only place outside the Vatican where divorce is outlawed. Roughly 80 per cent of the population is considered Christian.
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