Chile President Sebastian Pinera proposes civil unions

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14469625

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has proposed legislation that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions.

The bill would give homosexual couples and unmarried heterosexual couples the same inheritance and social welfare rights as married partners.

Gay right activists welcomed the bill which needs to be approved by Congress.

But leaders of the president's centre-right coalition refused to attend the proposal's signing ceremony.