ATHENS: Greece‘s parliament is to vote late Thursday to legalise same-sex civil marriage in a first for an Orthodox Christian country and despite opposition from the influential Greek Church. As lawmakers debated the bill, opinion polls suggest that most Greeks support the proposed reform by a narrow margin. The issue has failed to trigger divisions in a country more worried about the high cost of living.
The landmark bill drafted by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right govt is backed by four left-wing parties, including the main opposition Syriza.That would secure it a comfortable majority in the 300-seat parliament. Several majority and left-wing lawmakers are expected to abstain or vote against the reform – but not enough to kill the bill. Mitsotakis urged House to “say yes to equality” and approve the bill.
Supporters, waving rainbow banners, and opponents of the bill, holding religious icons, held separate protests.
The bill would confer full parental rights on married same-sex partners with children. But it precludes gay couples from parenthood through surrogate mothers in Greece – an option currently available to women who can’t have children for health reasons.
Same-sex civil partnerships have been allowed in Greece since 2015. But that only conferred legal guardianship to the biological parents of children in those relationships, leaving their partners in a bureaucratic limbo. The main opposition to the new bill has come from the traditionalist Church of Greece. Church officials have centered their criticism on the bill’s implications for traditional family values, and argue that potential legal challenges could lead to a future extension of surrogacy rights to gay couples.
The landmark bill drafted by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right govt is backed by four left-wing parties, including the main opposition Syriza.That would secure it a comfortable majority in the 300-seat parliament. Several majority and left-wing lawmakers are expected to abstain or vote against the reform – but not enough to kill the bill. Mitsotakis urged House to “say yes to equality” and approve the bill.
Supporters, waving rainbow banners, and opponents of the bill, holding religious icons, held separate protests.
The bill would confer full parental rights on married same-sex partners with children. But it precludes gay couples from parenthood through surrogate mothers in Greece – an option currently available to women who can’t have children for health reasons.
Same-sex civil partnerships have been allowed in Greece since 2015. But that only conferred legal guardianship to the biological parents of children in those relationships, leaving their partners in a bureaucratic limbo. The main opposition to the new bill has come from the traditionalist Church of Greece. Church officials have centered their criticism on the bill’s implications for traditional family values, and argue that potential legal challenges could lead to a future extension of surrogacy rights to gay couples.