France set to ban the words 'mother' and 'father' from official documents
The move, which has outraged Catholics, means only the word "parents" would be used in identical marriage ceremonies for all heterosexual and same-sex couples.
The draft law states that "marriage is a union of two people, of different or the same gender".
It says all references to "mothers and fathers" in the civil code – which enshrines French law – will be swapped for simply "parents".
The law would also give equal adoption rights to homosexual and heterosexual couples.