According to a decision issued Wednesday by Panama’s Supreme Court, same-sex marriage is not a human right and the country is not required to recognize such unions.
The issue had been before the court since 2016, following several appeals from same-sex couples who claimed the Central American country’s family code was unconstitutional because it only recognized marriages between men and women.
“There is a reality, and it is that, until now, the right to equal marriage is no more than an aspiration, even though a legitimate one for the groups involved, and it does not fall into the category of a human right or a fundamental right,” said the court, in the ruling dated February 16.
The same-sex couples who filed the suit were attempting to have marriages that occurred in other countries recognized legally in Panama and The court, however, said, “no matter how many changes happen in reality,” for now gay marriage “lacks conventional and constitutional recognition.”