The French Socialist Government, which has vowed to legalise gay marriage, says the plans must include “assisted human procreation” for gay couples.
But the proposal has hit the buffers following a strong reaction from conservative politicians and religious leaders in France.
And it seems that gay marriage will no longer be fast tracked through the French National Assembly as previously proposed.
Same-sex
While the French Government remains confident that its same-sex marriage legislation will pass, its plans for assisted procreation have been shelved.
Last week Harlem Désir, the interim chair of the French Socialist Party, said same-sex marriage legislation should give gay couples the right to have ‘test tube babies’.
He said that “on the issue of rights and freedoms, [we must] ensure that we set an example for the future, regarding the law on marriage and adoption for same-sex couples, there is also the right for medically assisted human procreation. This is the position of the party.”
Stripped
The draft marriage legislation was due to be presented later this month, but it has now been delayed until 7 November.
The French Government had originally planned for short parliamentary hearings, but following opposition longer hearings have now been scheduled.
Last month it emerged that the words “mother” and “father” were set to be stripped from official documents in France, under the Government’s controversial plans to redefine marriage.
Scrap
The news comes as the Westminster Government seeks to introduce same-sex marriage by 2015.
More than 600,000 people have now signed a petition, organised by the Coalition for Marriage, demanding that the Government scrap the plans.
Earlier this year a leading human rights barrister warned that introducing same-sex marriage could lead to teachers and others being forced out of their jobs.