Same-sex union legislation marriages performed in the Netherlands are recognized in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry has been and remains the topic of debate worldwide. Thirty-four countries and four jurisdictions worldwide have passed constitutional amendments that explicitly prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex marriage and sometimes other forms of legal unions as well. Seventeen countries and twenty-nine jurisdictions worldwide have authorized civil unions or unregistered cohabitation for same-sex couples as an alternative to marriage. The legal name of those unions as well as the number of rights that they provide can vary greatly. The first
Recognition of same-sex unions in Poland position. The Polish Government, led by the PiS party, planned to amend the Polish Constitution to constitutionally ban any recognition of same-sex relationships. A new registered partnership bill was proposed to the Government of Civic Platform and the Polish People's Party in late 2007. However, the Government rejected this proposal. It was the third bill since a public debate on same-sex unions had begun in 2000. The first one to recognise unregistered cohabiting couples (including same-sex couples) was proposed in 2002. In 2008, a new fourth bill on registered partnerships was being prepared by the opposition Alliance of the Democratic