Equal Marriage

The Constitutional Court of Ecuador gave way to equal civil marriage in Ecuador on Wednesday, by resolving two consultation cases presented by the Provincial Court of Pichincha regarding couples Xavier Benalcázar-Efraín Soria and Rubén Salazar-Carlos Verdesoto. As a country, we have made progress in expanding individual liberties and we respect the affective decisions of each person.

This triumph is just one step in our struggle for a more just, equitable society that recognizes equal rights for all. Equal marriage is a step further in the strengthening of civil rights and social protection policies. Today we walk along the path of the evolution of family law.

We have a wide range of fundamental rights, by the mere fact of existing; derived from it, all human beings can form a family, in any of its forms. At the global level, the principle of nuptial freedom is considered a fundamental right, since it is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights published Advisory Opinion 24-17, regarding the rights of the LGBTI population within the framework of equality, gender identity and family rights. This precedent of the Court allows Ecuador to legalize the civil marriage of same-sex couples.

Equal marriage reaffirms the importance of giving everyone the same opportunities. This also includes protecting and legally recognizing all types of families.