El Salvador recognizes neither same-sex marriage, civil unions, or any other legally recognized union for same-sex couples. A proposal to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption was rejected twice in 2006, and once again in April 2009 after the FMLN refused to grant the measure the four votes it needed to be ratified.[1]
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In 2006, a constitutional amendment was proposed banning legal recognition of same-sex marriage and would also ban gay people from being parents. The measure was backed by the conservative Christian Democratic Party, the then president and several other parties; i.e. Democratic Change Party, the Front for Democratic Revolution and the National Conciliation Party [2] But was opposed, and thus defeated, by the FMLN. It failed to win enough votes to be formally ratified due to the FMLN legislators.
On April 30, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved a last-minute constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex couples marrying by defining marriage as being between only "a man and a woman" and barring them from adopting children. Opposing civil rights groups have vowed to fight the measure, which still needed to be voted on by other branches of the government before becoming law.[3] The amendment eventually failed the same month.
While the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front has consistently opposed attempts to amend the constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, citing their belief that such laws are discriminatory, the party has stated that it has no intention to legalize same-sex marriage.
According to a 2008 poll, 14% of Salvadorans support same-sex marriage, while 80% were opposed and 6% were undecided.[4]