No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeGay marriageCosta Rica calls for compliance with international court ruling on gay marriage

Costa Rica calls for compliance with international court ruling on gay marriage

Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís called Wednesday for full compliance with the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH) that all member states recognize same-sex marriage and ensure that same-sex spouses have the same rights as heterosexual couples.

“Costa Rica and the other countries that have accepted the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court must fully comply with the court’s opinion, respecting each country’s processing time, jurisdictional and administrative spaces,” he told reporters during a tour of the Caribbean.

The court handed down a ruling on Tuesday indicating that same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples, rejecting the idea that their unions should be subject to a different legal status.

Solís said Costa Rica’s compliance with the ruling of the court, headquartered in San José, will require a “gradual process” of dialogue among the branches of government, civil society and political parties.

The court’s ruling also recognizes the right of transexuals to register themselves using the name and sex with which they identify.

“The court’s opinion ratifies our commitment to guaranteeing people access to the rights they acquire through their personal relations, without any sort of discrimination,” Solís said.

The court’s ruling was presented in response to a consultation filed in 2016 by Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has not always implemented CIDH rulings with alacrity. In 2012, the court ordered Costa Rica to overturn its ban on in vitro fertilization to legalize the practice within one year. However, officials failed to meet this deadline, and in 2015 was called to a hearing by the court to explain its noncompliance.

The procedure was finally legalized through executive decree in 2015.

However, support for implementing the marriage equality ruling appears widespread. The daily La Nación consulted eight presidential candidates Tuesday on this issue, all of whom said they would respect the ruling with two exceptions: Mario Redondo of the Democratic Christian Alliance, and Fabricio Alvarado of the National Restoration Party.

IVF Watch: Inter-American Court of Human Rights demands answers from noncompliant Costa Rica

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

Honduras Seizes $2 Million, Gold-Plated Pistols in Drug Raid

Honduran authorities struck a blow against drug cartels, seizing over $2 million in cash, war rifles, and flashy gold-plated pistols in Copán, a northwest...

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Costa Rica’s Cutris Mining Bill Threatens Massive Environmental Damage

Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica