Uruguayan lawmakers have approved a same-sex marriage measure , leaving just one more key step -- the president 's signature -- before such couples can wed in the South American country . A marriage equality bill passed the lower house Wednesday , with 71 of 92 lawmakers supporting the measure . The house approved a different version of the measure in December . Last week , Uruguay 's senate approved the bill in a 23-8 vote . If signed by President Jose Mujica , who has indicated he supports the measure , the proposal would make Uruguay the second country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage and the 12th country in the world to do so . Neighboring Argentina legalized such marriages in 2010 . In Argentina , the push to legalize same-sex marriage met with fierce opposition from the Roman Catholic Church , with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio -- then the archbishop of Buenos Aires and now Pope Francis -- engaging in a notorious war of words with the government over the issue . In Uruguay , the church has taken a similar tack , with officials describing the measure as a harsh blow to the institutions of marriage and the family . `` Why make relative or devalue an institution that is already so injured , like the family , introducing deep modifications that are going to confuse more than clarify ? '' the Rev . Pablo Galimberti , bishop of Salto , wrote in a recent post on the website of the Uruguayan Bishops Council . Uruguay 's Broad Front , a coalition of left-wing political parties , backs the measure . Last week , the group 's president stressed that the proposed law changes a civil institution and has nothing to do with the church . `` Here we are speaking about RIGHTS , with capital letters . Rights that were denied and repressed for a long time , and which a society that is trying to be modern and inclusive necessarily must recognize , to advance in equality , '' wrote Sen. Monica Xavier . `` Rights that are inherent to people , that are not a legislative creation , but something that the law must recognize . '' Same-sex marriage has sparked debate and impassioned demonstrations from supporters and opponents in many countries . Legislators in France and the United Kingdom are among lawmakers worldwide weighing proposals to legalize same-sex marriage . In the United States , the question of same-sex marriage went before the Supreme Court last month , and justices are now deliberating the matter . The first same-sex couples walked down the aisle in the Netherlands in 2001 . Since then , almost a dozen countries have passed laws allowing same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships , including Canada , South Africa , Belgium and Spain . In 2009 , Uruguay was the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to adopt children . It was also one the first Latin American countries to allow same-sex civil unions . The measure approved by Uruguayan lawmakers Wednesday removes the words `` man '' and `` woman '' from the country 's civil code and replaces them with the word `` spouse , '' CNN affiliate Teledoce reported .
The measure must be signed by Uruguay 's president . If approved , Uruguay will become the second Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage . The Catholic Church has vocally opposed the measure . Backers say it 's a matter of recognizing inherent human rights .