Greece has moved to ban surrogacy for gay male couples and single men, despite legalising same-sex marriage and adoption last year.
In February last year, Greece’s parliament approved a bill that saw it become the first country with a Christian Orthodox majority to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption.
The significant victory was, however, overshadowed by the fact same-sex couples would still be prohibited from seeking medically assisted reproduction through a surrogate, meaning they can only adopt or arrange surrogacy outside their homeland.
‘Inability to carry a pregnancy does not refer to an inability arising from one’s gender’
On Tuesday (1 April), Minister of Justice of Greece, Giorgos Floridis, announced the plan to ban gay couples and single men from having children via surrogacy.
He noted that proposed changes are part of the broader civil code reforms in Greece, aiming to clarify the legal definition of “inability to carry a pregnancy”.
Floridis told reporters: “We are now clarifying unequivocally that the concept of inability to carry a pregnancy does not refer to an inability arising from one’s gender.
“In other words, a woman may be unable to carry a pregnancy whether she is in a male-female couple, a female same-sex couple or on her own.”
The passing of same-sex marriage and adoption in Greece last year wasn’t without opposition.
Its main opposition was The highly influential Orthodox Church and its followers claimed that children were being treated as “accessories” and “companion pets” for gay couples.
The Church – which views homosexuality as a sin – also argued that the law will “confuse parental roles” and “weaken the traditional family”. But prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move would “boldly abolish a serious inequality”.
The landmark change follows Greece allowing civil partnership for same-sex couples in 2015, and two years later giving legal recognition to gender identity.
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