Northern Ireland court rules gay marriage ban doesn't violate rights
Source: Reuters
AUGUST 17, 2017 / 10:54 AM / 7 MINUTES AGO
BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Ireland's refusal to recognize same-sex marriage does not violate the rights of couples affected, the Belfast High Court ruled on Thursday, in a blow to campaigners in the only part of the United Kingdom that bans gay marriage.
The case was brought by three same-sex couples, backed by campaigners who are trying to pressure the region's largest party, the socially conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to reverse its veto on same-sex marriage.
The judge, Justice O'Hara, said the refusal to allow same- sex marriages in Northern Ireland was not a contravention of human rights "because that right does not exist."
O'Hara said it was up to Northern Ireland's devolved government to decide on the issue and that a ban on gay marriage did not violate international human rights standards.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-nireland-gaymarriage-idUSKCN1AX1TZ?il=0
