This South American country made same-sex marriages legal

Pinera, speaking with LGBTQ activists, civil society organisations, parliamentarians, and other officials at a ceremony at the La Moneda government palace on Thursday, said the law "equalises all love connections between two people."

The bill contains, among other things, paternal ties recognition, full spousal benefits, and adoption rights for married same-sex couples.

"All couples who so desire, regardless of their sexual orientation, will be able to live, love, marry, and form families with all the dignity and legal protection they require and deserve," Pinera added.

On Tuesday, Chile's Senate voted 21-8 in favour of marriage equality legislation, with three abstentions, while the Chamber of Deputies voted 82-20, with two abstentions, to pass the law.

Michelle Bachelet, Pinera's predecessor, was the original sponsor of the bill, which she introduced in 2017.

Pinera, a centrist who will leave office in March, and his government-backed marriage equality wholeheartedly this year.

The law's ratification is a significant step forward in the South American country, which is having a presidential runoff later this month following a decade-long legal battle.

Chile has a long history of conservatism, especially among its heavily Roman Catholic Latin American neighbours, although most Chileans now favour same-sex marriage.

"Love is love, no matter what," Amnesty International said of the new law, which is called "wonderful news."

Chile joins Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica as the eighth country in the Americas to approve marriage equality law.

Since 2015, civil unions have been legal in Chile, providing same-sex partners with many, but not all, of the benefits that married couples enjoy.