22/10/2019 (Agence Europe) – The British province of Northern Ireland now allows abortion and same-sex marriage in accordance with a decision that was made by the Westminster Parliament (which currently manages the province’s current business) during the summer and took effect on Tuesday, 22 October. These rights already apply in the rest of the United Kingdom and much of Europe. According to French-speaking Belgian broadcasting station RTBF, 19 countries recognize same-sex marriage, the last one being Austria in 2019. Six EU countries do not recognise any form of union for same-sex couples: Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland. According to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith, “at the latest”, the first same-sex marriages are expected to take place “on the week of Valentine’s Day 2020”. (SPj)