OAN’s James Myers
3:31pm – Thursday, February 15, 2024
Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to officially legalize same-sex marriage in a major landmark decision.
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On Thursday, a bipartisan majority of 176 people in the 300-member chamber voted in favor of the bill. Seventy-six people rejected the reform, while two others did not vote. 46 people did not attend the vote.
The law was drafted by the centre-right government of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and had the support of four left-wing parties.With the passage of this law, Greece becomes the 16th countryth Countries within the European Union and 35 countriesth Legalize same-sex marriage around the world.
“People who were previously invisible will finally become visible around us. And with them, many children will finally find their rightful place.” Mitsotakis spoke to lawmakers ahead of the evening vote.
The European country has recognized civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015, but the law does not allow both same-sex parents to claim legal guardianship of their children.
However, the new law will continue to prohibit same-sex couples from having children in Greece through surrogate mothers, an option available to single women and heterosexual couples who need a surrogate mother for health reasons.
The law has come under criticism from the Greek Orthodox Church, which has repeatedly said that domesticity is a sin. Churches also held protests against the parliamentary vote earlier this week.
In 2022, Greek lawmakers banned gender reassignment surgery nationwide.
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