Greek parliament to vote on legalizing same-sex marriage

Greek lawmakers on Thursday concluded a two-day debate over a bill to legalize same-sex civil marriages and to expand the legal recognition of parenthood for both members in a same-sex marriage. If the bill passes, Greece would be the first Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. The Greek constitution recognizes the Eastern Orthodox Church as the "prevailing religion" of the state. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday urged parliament to approve the measure. The measure would grant gay couples full parental rights in cases of adoption, but prohibit them from becoming parents by using surrogate mothers. Women in Greece who can’t have children for health reasons currently are allowed to use surrogacy.

How did the legislation here get here? The center-right government introduced the bill to parliament last month and it has gained support from left-leaning political parties. Some lawmakers from Mitsotakis’ conservative party oppose the measure.

What has the Orthodox church said about the bill? Bishops in the Greek Orthodox Church gathered in January to discuss the bill. The leaders released a statement following the meeting saying that the bill “abolishes not only rules of bioethics, Christian values and the Greek family tradition, but it overturns the rights of future children and gender roles as elements of the cohesion of society.” Senior cleric Archbishop Ieronymos has said that the issue should go to a national referendum.

What do Greek citizens say? Greek citizens seem split on the issue. About half of respondents to recent polls and surveys said they support same-sex marriage. Most respondents did not support allowing gay couples to adopt children. Greece has allowed same-sex civil partnerships since 2015.

Dig deeper: Listen to John Stonestreet and Nick Eicher discuss international laws about same-sex marriage on The World and Everything in It podcast.