Mexico’s lower house of congress rejects marriage equality bill

A committee in Mexico's lower house of congress on Wednesday rejected a proposal by President Enrique Pena Nieto for legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, an idea that sparked big demonstrations by both supporters and opponents.

The measure on enshrining same-sex couples' right to wed in the constitution was defeated 19-8, with one abstention, in the Commission on Constitutional Matters.

Commission chairman Edgar Castillo Martinez said the vote means the matter is "totally and definitively concluded," according to a summary published online by the Chamber of Deputies.

Mexico's Supreme Court ruled last year that it was unconstitutional . . .