Slovenian court allows referendum on same-sex marriages

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia's Constitutional Court gave the go-ahead on Thursday for a referendum that could overturn a law allowing same-sex marriages. Parliament passed the law in March, which also gave gay couples the right to adopt children. It has yet to be enforced because two members of a civil society group, "Za otroke gre", (For children) appealed to the Constitutional Court, demanding a referendum on whether it should be enacted. The referendum is expected to take place in the coming months, although no date has yet been set. In a similar referendum in 2012, almost 55 percent of voters were against giving more rights to same-sex couples. There have been no recent opinion polls to indicate how a new referendum might go. A number of other European Union members have already recognized same-sex marriages, including Britain, France and Spain, although it remains a contentious issue in many EU states. (Reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)