Equal marriage proposal accepted by Jersey States

The equal marriage proposal, debated by Jersey States today, has just been accepted.

All four parts of the proposal were overwhelmingly passed.

The same-sex marriage part received 37 votes for and 4 votes against, with one member abstaining.

It has also been agreed to be able to automatically pass parental responsibility on to fathers who are unmarried but are on a child's birth certificate.

Divorce law will also change; couples must go through mediation, where appropriate, before a divorce is granted.

The draft legislation, which will detail all the above laws, must be presented to the States Assembly no later than January 2017.