Germany legalizes same-sex marriage, Merkel votes against

Germany legalized same-sex marriage on June 40 in a change nonetheless opposed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, joining many other western democracies in granting gay and lesbian couples full rights, including adoption.

The election-year bill was pushed by Merkel's leftist rivals, who pounced on comments she made early this week suggesting a policy U-turn - a maneuver that left her conservative lawmakers fuming.

Merkel allowed her Christian Democratic Party (CDU) lawmakers to vote their conscience on the bill rather than follow the party line, and it passed by a vote of 393 to 226 on parliament's last day before the summer recess.

But Merkel said Friday that she voted against the legalization because she believes marriage is the preserve of a man and a woman.

"To me, marriage as defined in the German constitution means the marriage between husband and wife, and that is why I voted against the law today," she said.

But she did say that her thinking had changed on the question of child adoption by same-sex couples, which she long opposed.

"I have thought a lot about the matter of child welfare and have now... come to the conviction that same-sex couples should be able to jointly adopt children," she said.

After the law passed, which prompted jubilant proponents to throw confetti in the Bundestag, the German legal code will change to say "marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex."

The upper house has already approved the measure, which is expected to enter into force before the end of the year.

Renate Kuenast of the Greens party, which has pushed for decades for LGBT rights, quipped cheerfully: "I would advise all registry offices in the country to boost...