The increased consensus for the bill that will institutionalize same-sex marriage confirm the initial positions of the parties’ rapporteurs in the debate that began in the relevant committees of the Parliament.

Specifically, from the public positions of the parties in favor of the bill for same-sex marriage they declare SYRIZA, PASOK, New Left despite their objections regarding individual issues, as well as Freedom Sailing. On the contrary, KKE, Hellenic Solution, Spartans and Niki vote against.

Watch the debate of the bill live in parliament:

Sirengela: For us parent meant, means and will mean only father and mother

The rapporteur of the ND Maria Syregela he mentioned that the marriage equality bill is another reforming step of the Mitsotakis government and pointed out that with its passing Greece becomes the 37th country to introduce it into national law.

As mentioned by Mrs. Sirengela, this is done without extensive interventionsbut only with the highly necessary adjustments to the Civil Code, labor and social security legislation, which are summarized in 15 articles, with the sole purpose of ensuring access to the institution of civil marriage for all Greek citizens, regardless of sexual orientation and to protect the self-evident for a democratic society interests of children brought up in families of same-sex couples.

During her introduction, he clarified “what it does and what it doesn’t do” the draft law and regarding the first section of the points it regulates noted that: First, it introduces equality in civil marriage, i.e. access to the institution of civil marriage for all Greek citizens, without discrimination, and regardless of sexual orientation, and secondly, it protects the interests of children by regulating family law issues in families of same-sex couples.

As for the points that the draft law does not include, the ND rapporteur made it clear that the draft law does not extend the right to medically assisted reproduction and surrogacy in male couples and makes no mention of “parent 1” or “parent 2,” “since to us clearly parent meant, means and will only mean father and mother,” he said.

“But what is it that worries us so much? That now if a child is raised by a same-sex couple and the recognized parent dies, the child will not go to an institution or to distant relatives, as is done today, but will remain in his family, with the person who is the child’s other parent his, but for the law and society today he is invisible?”, he wondered and continued by asking the questions which the legislation answers: “It should not be when a child lives with a same-sex couple and the unrecognized (until now) parent dies, the child not to be deprived of his inheritance rights? When a child lives with a same-sex couple, shouldn’t the (as yet) unrecognized parent be empowered to make decisions about their education and health, be able to care for them if they go into hospital? When a child lives with a same-sex couple and the couple divorces, shouldn’t the unrecognized (until now) parent have maintenance obligations for the child and be able to participate in its upbringing?”

“Because the bill aims to regulate these legal relationships and these situations that exist in our society”added Ms. Sirengela, giving at the same time the answers to the issues regulated by the bill.

“With this bill we regulate an existing situation. We put up a framework, a safety net especially for the children. A man or a woman can adopt alone. And they can live together or make a cohabitation agreement with whoever they want and raise the child together. Therefore, we are now lifting the rug, bringing this murky situation to the surface and institutionalizing the discussion with the equality of citizens and the protection of children”concluded the ND rapporteur.

Akrita (SYRIZA): Important change for our country

“It is time to restore justice. Let it be self-evident. The Constitution should finally be implemented, because all people are equal, without asterisks,” he said Mrs. Elena Akrita to point out at another point that “Even with a significant delay, the bill is an important change for our country”.

The SYRIZA rapporteur said that in rights there is no opposing opinion and referendums and he added “no obscurantist conception and middle ages will turn us back. We reserve no rights for anything to come. We reserve rights for something that exists.”

Alongside called for the term “same-sex” couples to be replaced in the marriage provision with the term “individuals” “regardless of gender”while he argued that surrogate motherhood should be allowed.

Finally, he argued that the bill “is not a Pool of Siloam for the government. It will not offer atonement for violations of the Rule of Law.”

Christidis (PASOK): The absence of legislative recognition does not mean that same-sex families do not exist

“No religion can impose on the state what it defines as a civil marriage. The freedom of two adults to marry does not affect the freedoms of other people. It does not offend anyone and no one” said Mr. Christidis during his speech, who moved in support of the bill

“The family does not run out into the next traditional family. What we learned as father mother and children. There are also single-parent families, families without children. Same-sex families, with or without children.

The absence of legislative recognition does not mean that these individuals do not exist. The family and Greek culture did not dissolve because the women kept their surname. Because they work outside the home,” he added.

Regarding childbearing, he said: “The only thing that changes is that same-sex couples will be able to submit an application for adoption together just like heterosexual couples.

However, the framework of criteria to approve the requests remains the same.” In response to those who claim that children of same-sex couples will be bullied at school, he said:

“Who will they be bowling from? Whose children? And will we accept violence and school bullying or should we do something to stop these shameful phenomena?”

Daga (KKE): No to the commercialization of procreation and adoption

The door to the commercialization of adoption is opened by the draft law according to the KKE with Mrs. Paraskevi Daga to add that the introduced legislation undermines the child’s right, i.e. his social need to have ties with his mother and father.

The MP from Perissos, explaining the reasons why her party is voting against the regulations, said: “This need has an objective basis in the complementary relationship of motherhood and fatherhood, and obviously this relationship also has a social character, including the biological relationship between male and female organisms in reproduction kind of thing”, said Mrs. Daga and underlined that the basis of the position of the KKE is the rights of the child.

“A was formed calpic dividing line. That is to say that anyone who agrees with the bill is progressive and anyone who disagrees is with the Far Right and the Church. We understand your attempt to obscure your real motive”, said the special buyer of the KKE and accused the government that with this bill it seeks to wash away its anti-popular policy especially in the consciousness of the youth, because at the same time it is bringing back a bill that crushes every her social right, such as the private universities bill.

“The attempt to identify the scientific position of the KKE is a challenge, which also includes classism, with the anachronistic obscurantism of the Church, to hide the conservative logic of the bill, which defends the nuclear family as a fundamental economic social unit, which you just want to extend to other forms of cohabitation,” said Vivi Daga and wondered: “what does the KKE, which has taken a series of initiatives against the social isolation of people based on sexual orientation or other personal characteristics of sexuality, have to do with the Church that considers homosexuality a sin?” What does the KKE, which supports the equal free coexistence of two people, without economic and social coercion, have to do with its pioneering positions on the outdated institution of marriage, with the Church’s position that Does the civil marriage of same-sex couples contradict the God-given complementarity of man and woman and the God-given institution of marriage?’

Sarakis (Hellenic Solution): We want children to have a mother and a father and not parents with numbers

The special buyer of Hellenic Solution Pavlos Sarakis spoke about a violation of the Constitution. “The arrangements contradict Article 21 of the Constitution which states that the family is the foundation for the maintenance and advancement of the Nation,” he said, adding at another point: “The chain of gestation, delivery, birth, care are not technical procedures. Marriage and family are social institutions. Adoption by couples who do not have a maternal role model is headed in the wrong direction. They are Western modernism in decline. Marriage is a union of heterosexual persons because by its nature it leads to reproduction”.

“The Greek Solution is completely and thunderously opposed to the bill. To withdraw the bill. Do we want children to have parents, a mother and a father and not an unnatural parent? 1 and 2. We want our children to have parents and not parent numbers.”

Tzanakopoulos (New Left): Victory day for the movements

“Today is a day of victory for the movements of the LGBTI community” said Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, simultaneously launching an attack on the Hellenic Solution and the KKE who are voting against the bill.

“We have heard too many pearls today. They do not cause us concern when they are heard from the extreme right like the Greek Solution. But when they are heard by the KKE, they provoke us” said the New Left MP.

“Don’t hide behind our finger. The only reason someone refuses to vote for it is because they consider the relationship of same-sex couples to be of inferior moral status. No other excuse. It makes a terrible impression on me about the KKE that talks today about biological complementarity”he said.

Dimitriadis (Spartiates): No to the bill

The Spartans’ buyer also expressed his opposition to the bill Petros Dimitriadis.

“It is obscenity to go to a place of worship and write offensive slogans. This is obscurantism and intolerance,” he said.

Apostolakis (Niki): We are asking for a referendum

“Not only will we vote against, but we are asking for a referendum to be held to place the people who were not asked pre-election. The government’s position that rights issues cannot be resolved through referendums shows its authoritarianism,” argued Niki’s buyer Giorgos Apostolakis.

At the same time, he hastened to clarify that “Niki and her people, with our opposite position, do not oppose those who deviate sexually from the blessed relationship. We love them as images of God.” He also estimated that the “bow of the rightists” will also promote the “plural marriage”.

Bibilas (Freedom Cruise): We welcome equality in civil marriage

“We applaud the equality in civil marriage and we applaud the legal protection of families so that there are rights for gay families and their children” said Mr. Spyros Bibilas, expressing the positive attitude of Plefsis Eleftherias in the bill for the marriage of same-sex couples.

He noted of course that “the government brought the bill for reasons of disarming public opinion from the real problems” and repeated: “We are here and we support and defend the rights of all people. We are children of the same universe and completely normal. Of the same God for those who embrace this dimension”.