Part of the LGBT rights series |
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Same-sex marriage has been legal in Costa Rica since May 26, 2020 as a result of a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice. Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to recognize and perform same-sex marriages, the third in North America after Canada and the United States,[1] and the 28th to do so worldwide.
On August 8, 2018, the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica declared the sections of the Family Code prohibiting same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional, and gave the Legislative Assembly 18 months to reform the law accordingly; otherwise the ban would be abolished automatically. The ruling was published in the judicial bulletin on November 26, 2018, meaning that same-sex marriage would become legal no later than May 26, 2020. This followed an advisory opinion issued in January 2018 by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights stating that signatories of the American Convention on Human Rights are required to allow same-sex marriage.
The issue was a major topic during the 2018 Costa Rican general election. After the court ruling, several unsuccessful attempts by conservative lawmakers to delay the deadline failed due to lack of support.