Slovenia legalizes gay marriage and same-sex adoption

Slovenia on Tuesday became the first Eastern European country to legalize same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by same-sex couples, following Parliament’s approval of an amendment to the Constitution.

In July, a ruling by the country’s Supreme Court had found that the law that defined marriage only between a man and a woman discriminated against gay and lesbian couples in an inadmissible way. For that reason, the decision suspended that article in the legislation, with immediate effect, and ordered the Parliament to modify the text within six months.

The court took up the matter after complaints from two couples who could not marry or adopt children. The court also stipulated that, until legislation changes, marriage would be considered a lifelong union of two people regardless of sex. According to the Court, the decision did not reduce the importance of the institution of traditional marriage between husband and wife.

The amendment on family law, voted on this Tuesday, had the support of 48 deputies, with 29 against and one abstention. “With these changes, we are recognizing the rights that same-sex couples should have for a long time to come,” Secretary of State Simon Maljevac told lawmakers as he introduced the measure.

The main opposition party, the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) criticized the court’s decision and organized several rallies in protest. “The best father will never replace the mother and vice versa”, said the president of the acronym, Alenka Jeraj.

With the approval, the country of 2 million people, a member of the European Union since 2004, joins 17 other nations on the continent that have already legalized same-sex marriage.

Most neighbors of Slovenia, a former republic of Yugoslavia, do not allow same-sex marriages. In Hungary, talking about homosexuality in front of minors is even punishable by a fine since mid-2021. Estonia, on the other hand, allows civil unions.