Slovenia lifts the ban on same-sex marriages and adoptions
The highest court in Slovenia has ruled that the introduction of a ban on same-sex marriage and child adoption is unconstitutional, and ordered its parliament to change the law within six months.
On Friday (July 8), the judges of the Constitutional Court decided on both cases by 6 to 3 and considered that the current Slovenian legislation, which only allows marriages and adoptions of the opposite sex, violates the constitutional ban on discrimination.
Discrimination against same-sex couples “cannot be justified by the traditional meaning of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, nor by the special protection of the family”, the Slovenian Press Agency reported in the judgment.
With the ruling, Slovenia became the 18th country in Europe and the 31st country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. This also makes it the first country in the former Yugoslavia to legalize same-sex marriage.
While the court gave legislators six months to adapt the existing legislation to the ruling, the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Luka Mesec announced that the requested changes would be ready in a week or two.
“Constitutional The court ordered us to do it, and we will do it with the utmost pleasure.” said the Moon.
Until now, same-sex couples were limited to civil unions, which gave them some but not all of the rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples.
In 2015, parliament approved a law legalizing same-sex marriage in March of that year, but it was rejected in a referendum eight months later in December.
The state Supreme Court revisited the issue following appeals by two same-sex couples who were unsuccessful in their marriage and adoption battles in regular courts.