Stuti Raha
21st November 2020
Protests in Hungary (Source:BBC)
Hungary's right-wing government has drafted a change to the country's constitution that bans adoption by same-sex couples. The new amendment would state that 'the mother is a woman, and the father is a man' and authorise only married couples to adopt children.
While same-sex marriage is illegal in Hungary, adoption has been within reach if one partner applies on their own.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, the nationalist Fidesz party, proposed another constitutional amendment to the parliament that calls for children to be raised with a 'Christian' interpretation of gender roles. According to BBC, the amendment reads, “It ensures education in accordance with the values based on Hungary's constitutional identity and Christian culture.”
Hungary has been fighting for its LGBTQ+ rights for years with the government only making it more and more difficult for them. The law already determines the 'institution of marriage as between man and woman' and calls it the 'basis of a family and national survival'.
In May of this year, Hungary also banned any form of changes to gender in personal documents and has taken a stand against children's books that depict diversity in a positive light. The newly proposed legislation declares that only married couples can adopt children, and single citizens can only adopt with exclusive permission from the minister in charge of family affairs.
The abrupt amendment change in the constitution will make it almost impossible for gay couples to adopt children. According to sources, nearly 5 lakh children are a part of single-parent families. The opposition has denounced the government for discriminating against them through family allowances and tax systems.
The amendment bills were submitted to the parliament right before the coronavirus restrictions came into play to deal with the pandemic. The Hatter rights group in Hungary has called out the government for pushing anti-LGBT rights over proper health measures. They said the timing was 'not accidental'. The government has taken full advantage of the setbacks faced by mass protesters due to the pandemic.
(Sources: Hindustan Times, BBC News, Euronews, Reuters)
Edited by: Suditi Jha