Greece approves gay marriage and adoption for same-sex couples

The Parliament of Greece approved this Thursday the gay marriage and the adoption of minors by same-sex couples, a measure promoted by the Conservative Government despite frontal opposition from influential people Orthodox Church.

With 176 votes in favor, 76 against and 2 abstentions, the reform was easily approved, thanks to the votes of several opposition parties, as part of the 158 deputies from the government party, the conservative New Democracy (ND), voted against, abstained or left the Chamber.

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Greece thus becomes the 20th country in Europe and the first Orthodox Christian to allow marriage of same-sex couples.

The head of the conservative government, Kyriakos Mitsotakisgave freedom of vote to legislators of its formation after internal opposition to the measure from the more conservative wing.

Since 2015, Greece recognizes civil unions for same-sex couples, although without the same rights as those of the heterosexual marriage.

The prime minister made the approval of equal marriage one of his main promises in the campaign in which he won a clear victory in June 2023, and kept his word despite the resounding opposition of the very influential Orthodox Church.

Mitsotakis has repeatedly asked the Orthodox Church not to interfere in state affairs, and this Thursday he even mentioned a biblical passage in the parliamentary debate: “To Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”.

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The prime minister has defended that the reform makes it possible to put an end to numerous legal inconsistencies that affect many families, although the reform has angered some of his voters.

With the new legislation, same-sex couples would have greater peace of mind, freeing themselves from the worry of losing custody of their children in some circumstances.

“Today is a day of joy and let’s celebrate it properly“, he told EFE Emanuilidu’s Messwho six years ago had a child with her partner after an in vitro fertilization process, but only she has rights over the minor, as for the Greek State it is “unknown father”.

Emanuilidu says that he has already made all the preparations and set March 8 to get married, mainly so that his partner can have custody of the child and be free from “huge feeling of insecurity and fear“that if something happens to her, her son will lose”in a day for your two mothers”.

This process, however, provides “long and expensive”, as he highlights, since the law requires the non-biological parent to adopt the minor so that their legal guardianship rights are recognized, in the case of lesbian couples who already have children.

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Pro-rights associations LGBTI celebrated the “historic” approval of the law, but some of them criticize that surrogacy was not authorized to homosexual couples.

The reform also leaves same-sex couples in limbo when it comes to accessing assisted reproduction treatments, he explains to EFE. Ekaterini Trimmimember of the National Human Rights Committee and lawyer for the organization “Rainbow Families” from Greece.

Although the text does not refer to this subject, “It is understood that lesbian couples will be able to have access to assisted reproduction techniques“form a family”,in proportional application”of the legislation that exists for heterosexual couples, he told EFE Lina PapadopuluProfessor of Law at the University of Thessaloniki and one of the drafters of the standard.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.