OAN’s James Meyers
3:31 PM – Thursday, February 15, 2024
Greece officially becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize gay marriage in the massive landmark decision.
A cross-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat Parliament voted on Thursday in favor of the bill. 76 rejected the reform, while two others did not vote. 46 were not present for the vote.
The law was drafted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government and also had support from four left-leaning parties. With the passing of the law, Greece becomes the 16th country within the European Union and the 35th worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage.
“People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us. And with them, many children will finally find their rightful place,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers ahead of the evening vote.
The European country has allowed civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015, but the law did not permit same-sex parents to both claim legal guardianship over their children.
However, the new law would still prohibit same-sex couples from having children through surrogate mothers in Greece, which is an option available to single women and heterosexual couples that require surrogates due to health reasons.
The law has been met with criticism from the Greek Orthodox Church, which reiterated that homesexuality is a sin. The church even held protests earlier this week against the Parliamentary vote.
In 2022, Greek lawmakers banned sex-change surgeries nationwide.
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