SLOVENIA BECOMES FIRST EASTERN-EUROPEAN COUNTRY TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND ADOPTION
The Slovenian parliament on Tuesday passed an amendment allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt after a constitutional court ruling made it the first country in Eastern Europe to do so.
The family law amendment was passed by 48 MPs, with 29 against and one abstaining.
Slovenia, which emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia, bordering Italy and Austria, is the first former communist country to endorse this reform in Europe, as most of its eastern neighbours do not allow civil unions or same-sex marriages yet.
The government of Estonia came the closest in 2016 by agreeing to recognize same-sex unions created in other countries. Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Montenegro have laws establishing same-sex civil partnerships.
“With these changes, we are recognising the rights of same-sex couples that they should have had for a long time,” State Secretary Simon Maljevac told MPs when presenting the amendment.
Congrats Slovenia!
