The couple Teresa Pires and Helena Paixão intend to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if the Constitutional Court of Portugal denies their right to marry.
According to the Lusa agency, the lawyer representing the couple, Luís Grave Rodrigues, said that it is almost certain that the court will not allow the union and that the majority of judges will vote against the sentence.
Teresa and Helena have been trying to get married for almost two years and claim the unconstitutionality of the expression “of different sex” contained in the definition of marriage formulated in article 1577 of the Portuguese Civil Code. According to the couple, Article 13 of the Constitution explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In December 2007, the couple held a symbolic wedding ceremony on a plane.
In Europe, same-sex marriage is permitted in countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
