Scotland might become the first part of the UK to introduce policy on same-sex marriage, as Scottish cabinet ministers are expected to announce the legislation for same sex marriages this week, following consultations which resulted in a whooping 80,000 responses.

The meeting has been arranged for, amidst calls from the Catholic Church to hold a referendum on the issue because of “intense public interest.” The Scottish cabinet has already held initial talks on the way forward, and has asked for further detail.

The Catholic Church and Church of Scotland strongly oppose the policy stating that it would challenge the civil partnership law. The Holyrood government has insisted no part of the religious community would be forced to hold same-sex weddings in churches.

It may be noted that while opposing the policy, the Church of England has warned that it would be ‘impossible’ to conduct any service on behalf of the state, if the policy is implemented.

Same-sex couples in Scotland currently have the option to enter into civil partnerships. Although civil partnerships in Scotland offer the same legal treatment as marriage in areas such as inheritance, pensions provision, life assurance, child maintenance, next of kin and immigration rights, they are still considered as distinct from marriage.

The introduction of gay marriage has been backed by many organisations, including The Equality Network, Amnesty International, Unison and the Humanist Society of Scotland, as well as political parties. Faith groups, including the United Reformed Church, the Quakers, Buddhists and the Pagan Federation also support the move.

The UK government, which is consulting on changing the status of the civil ceremonies to permit marriages of gay and lesbian couples in England and Wales, plans to implement the changes by 2015.

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