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SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Monday sent Congress a bill that would legalize gay marriage, a move that follows a string of liberal reforms in one of Latin America’s most conservative nations. The MOVILH lawsuit led to a settlement in which Bachelet’s government promised to introduce a same-sex marriage and adoption bill, following the country’s recognition of civil unions back in 2015. “We do this with the certainty that it is not ethical or fair to put artificial limits on love, or to deny essential rights just because of the sex of those who make up a couple.”

The bill is expected to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. The bill comes a week after Chile’s Constitutional Court upheld a measure that would end the country’s absolute ban on abortions.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet sends a bill to Congress for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Chile and adoption by same-sex couples, two years after recognizing civil unions for both same-gender and different-gender couples.