The country’s politicians approved the bill on Tuesday. The new law defines marriage as between a man and a woman and states that “the foundation of the family is marriage and the parent-child relationship. The mother is a woman, the father is a man ‘.
As a rule, only a married couple in Hungary can adopt, with some exceptions for singles, which previously would have been the way for a same-sex couple.
Rights groups have rejected the new law. “This is a dark day for the Hungarian LGBTQ community and a dark day for human rights,” said David Vig, director of Amnesty Hungary.
“These discriminatory, homophobic and transphobic new laws – rushed under the cover of the coronavirus pandemic – are just the latest attack on LGBTQ people by the Hungarian authorities,” Vig added.
Masen David, executive director of human rights organization Transgender Europe, called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “to rule out the rights of LGBT parents, the attempt to eradicate gender-specific children and the ban on legal gender recognition as a rule of the Committee of Legal Assessment and Ongoing Proceedings of Article 7 TEU against Hungary. “
Although Hungary is a member of the European Union, Prime Minister Victor Orban has gone his own way in recent years, passing a jumble of laws that EU leaders have warned will undermine the country’s democracy.
In May, Hungary made it illegal for transgender and intersex people to change gender on identity documents. And while the country currently recognizes legal unions for same-sex couples, the ruling Fidesz party and its leader, Orban, are against the legalization of same-sex marriage.
The prime minister’s office on Tuesday hailed the bill banning same-sex adoption, saying it was intended “to strengthen the protection of Hungarian families and the safety of our children.”
The stance of Hungary’s conservative lawmakers was also clearly reflected in the justification portion of Tuesday’s bill, which states, “Hungary’s constitution is a living framework that expresses the will of the nation, the form in which we want to live. “modern” set of ideas that make relative all traditional values, including the two sexes, is a growing concern. “
Earlier this year, Hungary lost points in a ranking of European countries for LGBTI rights by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) for “policies targeting LGBTI communities”.