Greece on Thursday became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex civil marriage, despite opposition from the influential, socially conservative Greek Church.
A cross-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament voted late Thursday in favor of the landmark bill drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ' center-right government. Another 76 rejected the reform while two abstained from the vote and 46 were not present in the house.
Mitsotakis tweeted after the vote that Greece 바카라is proud to become the 16th (European Union) country to legislate marriage equality.바카라
바카라This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today바카라s Greece 바카라 a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values,바카라 he wrote.
Scores of supporters of the reform who had gathered outside parliament and were watching the debate on a screen cheered loudly and hugged as the vote result was announced.
바카라This took a long time to be adopted in our country 바카라 but at least it happened and that바카라s what is important,바카라 said a man who only gave his first name, Nikolas. 바카라We are no longer invisible.바카라
Earlier, people opposed to the bill had also protested nearby, holding prayer books and religious icons.
Opinion polls suggest that most Greeks support the reform by a narrow margin, and the issue has failed to trigger deep divisions in a country more worried about the high cost of living.
The bill was backed by four left-wing parties, including the main opposition Syriza.
바카라This law doesn바카라t solve every problem, but it is a beginning,바카라 said Spiros Bibilas, a lawmaker from the small left-wing Passage to Freedom party, who is openly gay.
It was approved despite several majority and left-wing lawmakers abstaining or voting against the reform. Three small far-right parties and the Stalinist-rooted Communist Party rejected the draft law from the start of the two-day debate.
바카라People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us. And with them, many children (will) finally find their rightful place,바카라 Mitsotakis told lawmakers ahead of the evening vote.
바카라Both parents of same-sex couples do not yet have the same legal opportunities to provide their children with what they need,바카라 he added. 바카라To be able to pick them up from school, to be able to travel, to go to the doctor, or take them to the hospital. ... That is what we are fixing.바카라
The bill confers full parental rights on married same-sex partners with children. But it precludes gay couples from parenthood through surrogate mothers in Greece 바카라 an option currently available to women who can바카라t have children for health reasons.
Many LGBTQ+ rights advocates have criticized that limitation, as well as the absence of any provision for transgender people.
Psychologist Nancy Papathanasiou, scientific co-director of Orlando LGBT+, which advocates for LGBTQI mental health, echoed that concern but said the new law confers a very important sense of equality.
바카라Discrimination is the most pervasive risk factor for mental health,바카라 she said. 바카라So just knowing that there is less discrimination is protective and promotive for LGBTQI mental health.바카라
Maria Syrengela, a lawmaker from the governing New Democracy, or ND, said the reform redresses a long-standing injustice for same-sex couples and their children.
바카라And let바카라s reflect on what these people have been through, spending so many years in the shadows, entangled in bureaucratic procedures,바카라 she said.
Dissidents among the governing party included former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, from ND바카라s conservative wing.
바카라Same-sex marriage is not a human right 바카라 and it바카라s not an international obligation for our country,바카라 he told parliament. 바카라Children have a right to have parents from both sexes.바카라
Polls show that while most Greeks agree to same-sex weddings they also reject extending parenthood through surrogacy to male couples. Same-sex civil partnerships have been allowed in Greece since 2015. But that only conferred legal guardianship to the biological parents of children in those relationships, leaving their partners in a bureaucratic limbo.
The main opposition to the new bill has come from the traditionalist Church of Greece 바카라 which also disapproves of heterosexual civil marriage.
Church officials have centered their criticism on the bill바카라s implications for traditional family values, and argue that potential legal challenges could lead to a future extension of surrogacy rights to gay couples.
Church supporters and conservative organizations have staged small protests against the proposed law.
Far-right lawmaker Vassilis Stigas, head of the small Spartans party, described the legislation Thursday as 바카라sick바카라 and claimed that its adoption would 바카라open the gates of Hell and perversion.바카라
Politically, the same-sex marriage law is not expected to harm Mitsotakis바카라 government, which won easy re-election last year after capturing much of the centrist vote.
A stronger challenge comes from ongoing protests by farmers angry at high production costs, and intense opposition from many students to the planned scrapping of a state monopoly on university education.
Nevertheless, parliament is expected to approve the university bill later this month, and opinion polls indicate that most Greeks support it.
