Letter: Same-sex disparity

The European Court recently ruled that its convention on human rights had not been violated when Austria refused to allow two men to marry.

However, unlike Austria, our civil partnerships give couples virtually the same rights as married couples, including in areas such as adoption, surrogacy and donor insemination.

Our exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage and different-sex couples from civil partnership is thus discrimination purely on grounds of sexual orientation.

The twin bans clearly violate article 14 (protection against discrimination), article 12 (the right to marry) and article 8 (the right to respect for family life).

I can see no justification for Britain continuing to withhold access to both arrangements and look forward to the UK government's position being tested in Strasbourg.

(Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews