[JURIST] Chilean lawmakers on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that recognizes civil unions between same-sex couples. The legislation will now go to President Michelle Bachelet next, who is expected to sign it. The bill’s passage will give same-sex couples many of the rights granted to married couples, such as the ability to inherit each other’s property, join a health plan and receive pension benefits.

Same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive] continues to be a debated issue worldwide. Earlier this week France’s highest court ruled [JURIST report] that a same-sex French-Moroccan couple may legally marry despite the fact that Morocco refuses to recognize same-sex marriage. Earlier this month the US Supreme Court agreed [JURIST report] to rule on same-sex marriage, granting certiorari in four separate cases. In August Ugandan Attorney General Peter Nyomb filed [JURIST report] an appeal against the constitutional court ruling that struck down the nation’s anti-homosexuality law. Last January the Nigerian president signed [JURIST report] the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act into law, banning same-sex marriage and criminalizing same-sex relationships. Similar laws exist in Singapore and Jamaica [JURIST reports].