Czech lawmakers approve more rights for same-sex couples, just not marriage

The Czech lower house on Wednesday agreed to give more rights to same-sex couples in a civil partnership, but disappointed campaigners by stopping short of calling their union a marriage or allowing joint adoption. The Czech Republic allows same-sex couples to register their unions, but this status does not let them adopt children jointly, own property together or receive widows' and widowers' pensions. More than half of European Union states allow same-sex marriages, but there is widespread resistance in eastern countries that were under communist rule for decades, where many say it must remain the preserve of heterosexual couples.