ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s parliament is expected to vote Thursday to legalize same-sex civil marriage, becoming the first Orthodox Christian country to do so despite opposition from the influential Greek Church.
Lawmakers debated the bill for a second day, with opinion polls showing most Greeks support the reforms by a narrow margin. In a country more concerned about the rising cost of living, the issue has stopped short of causing serious divisions.
The landmark bill, drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right government, is supported by four left-wing parties, including the main opposition SYRIZA.
If they do so, they will secure a comfortable majority in the 300-member parliament. Several members of the majority and leftists are expected to abstain or vote against the reform, but not enough to kill the bill. Three small far-right parties and the Soviet-inspired Communist Party rejected the bill.
People held up Greek flags and religious symbols at a rally that brought together members of the religious conservative party Niki, members of Orthodox and Christian unions, and members of far-right groups protesting same-sex marriage in the Greek parliament. Voting is scheduled for November 2, 2024 at Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece (Photo by Giorgos Arapekos/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Supporters and opponents of the bill announced plans to hold separate rallies outside Parliament late Thursday.
At the beginning of a two-day debate on Wednesday, Deputy Minister Akis Schertsos claimed that most Greeks already accepted the idea of same-sex marriage.
“We are not deciding on change in this chamber,” he said. “It’s already happening…society changes and develops without the need for parliamentary permission.”
The bill would give full parental rights to married same-sex partners who have children. However, Greece excludes same-sex couples from becoming parents through a surrogate mother. This is currently an option available to women who are unable to have children for health reasons.
Maria Silengera, a lawmaker from the ruling New Democracy party, said the reforms would correct long-standing injustices against same-sex couples and their children.
“And think about what people have been through who have spent so many years in the shadows, caught up in bureaucratic processes,” she said.
Polls show that while most Greeks approve of same-sex marriage, they also reject parenthood for male couples through surrogacy. Same-sex civil partnerships have been recognized in Greece since 2015. But that only grants legal guardianship to the biological parents of the children in the relationship, leaving the partners in bureaucratic limbo.
The main opponent of the new bill is the traditionalist Greek Church, which also does not recognize civil marriage between opposite sexes.
Church officials have focused their criticism on the bill’s impact on traditional family values, and potential legal issues could extend surrogacy rights to same-sex couples in the future. claims to be sexual.
Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church, suggested on Wednesday that the vote should be held by roll call. This will allow voters to see exactly how their legislators voted.
In any case, it will happen, according to a motion filed later in the day by far-right parties, and independently by SYRIZA on various grounds. The main opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis, who is gay, has threatened to take disciplinary action against SYRIZA MPs who do not support the bill.
Church supporters and conservative groups have staged small protests against the bill, and members of far-right groups have called for a demonstration in front of Congress later Thursday.
Politically, the same-sex marriage law is not expected to have any negative impact on Mitsotakis’ government, which easily won re-election last year with a majority of the centrist vote.
A stronger challenge is posed by ongoing protests by farmers angry over high production costs and fierce opposition from many students to plans to abolish the state monopoly on university education.
Nevertheless, parliament is expected to approve the university bill later this month, and polls show that most Greeks support it.
