and the family's honour, dignity and privacy are inviolable. According to the third paragraph of article 42, "family relations are based on the equality of rights and duties of the couple and on the reciprocal respect of all its members. Any form of violence in the family is considered destructive of its harmony and unity." The fourth paragraph recognizes the equal rights and duties of all children, whether they be born within or outside of marriage or adopted. Couples have the right to decide "freely and responsibly" the number of their children, and are constitutionally responsible to support and educate them while they are minors or not self-supporting. The regulation of marriage, separation and divorce are determined by the State (Article 42). In accordance with the 1991 Constitution's pluralist spirit, this article protects different forms of families, including those outside of wedlock forming legally recognized marital unions, distinct from marriage but sharing the "essential characteristic" of being institutions which create families. Similarly, constitutional jurisprudence has highlighted the 'flexible character' of the family, whereby an individual partakes in several different forms of familial relationships during his/her lifetime. Faced with the issue of same-sex marriage, in sentence C-577 in July 2011, the Constitutional Court found that same sex couples are a recognized form of family that may be originated by natural ties (De Facto Unions) or by legal ties (a Solemn Contract), as there were no legal contract that same sex couples could opt, the National Congress was invoked to correct the "deficit of protection" and was exhorted to legislate on the matter of same-sex relationships. C-577 sentence included a deadline, if Congress would not correct the deficit by June 2013, then same sex couples would be able to opt for a Legal Tie before Judges and notars. Deadline was not met, and by analogy, many Judges married same-sex couples, in sentence SU-214 of April 2016 Constitutional Court ruled that the Legal Tie that corrects the deficit of protection is Marriage and that all judges and notars are obliged to perform that ceremony under the same conditions required for opposite couples. Women and men have equal rights and opportunities, and women cannot be subjected to any type of discrimination (Article 43). Furthermore, the State must provide special assistance and protection to women during pregnancy and after delivery, including food subsidies if the woman should find herself unemployed or abandoned. Children's rights (Article