The French Senate approved a controversial bill Friday that would give same-sex couples the rights to marry and adopt . The lower house has already approved the legislation . The bill , to which 10 amendments were made in the Senate , must still go through a second reading in the National Assembly and a final reading in the upper house . The date for those readings has not yet been set . Minister for the Family Dominique Berinotti told CNN affiliate BFM-TV that the Senate vote was a `` beautiful victory . '' Extending the rights to marry and adopt to same-sex couples in France was one of President Francois Hollande 's electoral pledges in campaigning last year . The left , which includes Hollande 's governing Socialist Party , dominates the National Assembly , where the bill passed by a large majority in February . The party has only a slim majority in the Senate . The plan faced stiff opposition from the Roman Catholic Church , other religious groups and social conservatives , with huge numbers turning out for protests in recent weeks . It won wide backing from gay rights advocates . The new law would mark the biggest step forward for French gay rights advocates in more than a decade . A law legalizing civil unions was introduced in 1999 in France under a previous Socialist government . Known in France as the PACS ( pacte civil de solidarite ) , the civil union agreement can be entered into by same-sex or straight couples and confers many but not all of the rights of marriage . Same-sex marriage : Who will legalize it next ?
French Senate approves a bill that would extend the right to marry to same-sex couples . The controversial bill would also allow same-sex couples to adopt . The move has been opposed by social conservatives and the Catholic Church . Score: 6