PARIS – The French government has delayed plans to debate a draft bill legalizing same-sex marriage.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French prime minister, had originally named Oct. 31 as the date when ministers would unveil the bill. He told AFP at the time that there would be no backtracking.
However, AP reported that the prime minister’s office has now pushed the date back to Nov. 7.
There has been increasing opposition in France to same-sex marriage and recently many religious leaders have spoken out against the reform. AP reported that more than 1,200 French mayors and their deputies have signed a petition against the bill.
During his campaign for the 2012 presidential election, Socialist Party candidate François Hollande declared his support for same-sex marriage. After his election in May he promised to pass same-sex marriage legislation before spring 2013.
