First Orthodox Christian country legalizes gay marriage — RT World News
Greek lawmakers voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in the country, despite strong opposition from the Greek Orthodox Church and nearly half of the population.
The draft law was approved on Thursday by a majority of 176 deputies in the 300-seat Greek Parliament, while 76 deputies rejected it and 46 did not attend the vote. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the move, saying Greece did as well “proud” It becomes the sixteenth European Union to legislate “Marriage equality.”
“This is a milestone in the field of human rights, and reflects Greece today – a progressive and democratic country, deeply committed to European values.” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Greece legalized same-sex civil partnerships in 2015, providing these couples with some rights and benefits, but they were not allowed to adopt children. The new bill provides full parental rights to married same-sex couples, with the exception of same-sex couples who are still not allowed to have children through surrogates.
The measure was passed by Mitsotakis's New Democracy party, which is supported by four left-wing parties, even as some conservatives from the ruling party opposed it.
“Same-sex marriage is not a human right…and it is not an international obligation for our country.” Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told Parliament. “Children have the right to have parents of both sexes.”
A poll conducted by the national opinion polling firm ALCO in January showed that about 49% of Greeks bidder Legalizing same-sex marriage, with 35% approval, while 16% abstained from responding. These reforms were also strongly opposed by the Orthodox Church in Greece, which has great influence in society and politics, as more than 80% of the country's population of 11 million is considered Greek Orthodox.
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