His disagreement with the marriage equality bill was expressed by Stelios PetsasND MP, from the floor of the plenary session of the Parliament, who stated, however, that he will choose to abstain from the roll-call vote and not to vote against.

Mr. Petsas is listed as the second member of parliament who will abstain from voting on the bill, after Thanos Pleuris and as the fifth who openly stated that he disagrees, after Milto Chrysomalli, Anna Karamanlis and Evripidis Stylianidis, who declared that they would vote against.

Among the reasons cited by Mr Petsas for his dissent is Article 11 of the bill, which he argued opens a large window on surrogacy, which the government wants to close the door on – and that’s because after the vote of the law, a child obtained by any legal means abroad is automatically recognized at home. “It is really an oxymoron to want to ban something, and yet with the draft law to allow it. In addition, this contradiction is extremely likely to lead to the condemnation of Greece in the Special Court of Human Rights, as the only criterion for the banning of the surrogate pregnancy for same-sex couples in Greece will be the place of birth of a child, which is also underlined in the report of the Scientific Service of the Parliament” he said specifically.

Besides, Mr. Petsas stated that he is concerned about any crack in the political stability, which we have conquered with so much effort in recent years, with the possibility of historically high levels of abstention being recorded in the European elections, and the reinforcement through an increased vote of protest, disparate and possibly anti-European forces in the next European Parliament.

Concluding, Mr. Petsas emphasized that: “For legal, bioethical and political reasons, loyal to my principles and values, as a husband, father and politician I cannot agree with this legislative initiative. But because I support the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government that restored trust in our country, because a disagreement, even if important, cannot cloud our other policies that make the lives of Greeks better, but also because I want the unity of the faction to which I have belonged since I was a child, I will I abstain from the roll call vote”.

Stylianides

The ND MP votes against the bill for equality in civil marriage. Euripides Stylianides.

In the debate that is developing in the plenary session, the ND MP said, among other things, that:

– Whatever the legislator does not provide (including referring to medically assisted reproduction), sooner or later, if the neologism of marriage equality as a newly created right is used, the European judge will be forced to offer it as a possibility.

– Greek legislation has provided for the Coexistence Pact, with respect for diversity, which could easily, supplemented with the necessary legislative provisions, resolve legal and practical issues of same-sex couples, fully integrating them into Greek society.

– International studies have shown that the genetic causes that determine sexual orientation concern only a small percentage of the LGBTI community. A large percentage chose this orientation by fashion, by experience, by choice, or by other circumstances. Therefore, social and family experiential patterns are very important, not only for children’s psychology but also for the formation of their sexual identity.

– The legalization of the marriage of same-sex couples undoubtedly shakes the successful model of the Greek traditional family, moves away from the orthodox Christian standards of the Greek tradition and weakens the effort to strengthen the demographics of a country that is severely affected by the low birth rate.

– What is needed today mainly in Greece, is the support of families with three and many children.

– For Orthodoxy, marriage is the most important sacrament, i.e. a hard core of our religious doctrine, as formulated by the Holy Synod. So I wonder if it is possible for someone to declare himself an orthodox Christian a la carte, choosing only what he likes from the faith he follows.

– The great importance played by the family, together with the school, in the formation of identity standards that originate from nature itself, make the family the foundation of society. The traditional Greek family was and remains the safest vehicle for children to develop their personality smoothly, clearly, without identity confusion and psychological consequences, which any other model would cause. The concepts of mother and father are irreplaceable and are identified with the beloved traditional family, as the foundation of organized human society.