Portugal’s President vetoes same-sex adoption law
The President of Portugal has blocked a law that would have equalised adoption laws for same-sex couples – just weeks before leaving office.
The new law had passed through Portugal’s Parliament last last year, granting full adoption rights to same-sex couples, and allowing lesbian couples to receive medically assisted fertilisation.
Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, of the centre-right Social Democratic Party, blocked the law just two months before he is set to leave office.
He claimed in a statement that the law doesn’t regard “the child’s best interest” as a priority, which he claims is more important than equality for gay couples.
He added: “It is important that such a big change on a sensitive social topic is not entered into force without a broad public debate.”
The left-wingers who dominate the country’s Parliament will try to override Silva’s veto on the issue.
Despite the stalling on the issue, many same-sex couples are already raising children together in Portugal under existing laws.
Since 2013, gay people have been permitted to adopt their partner’s children – while any individual, gay or straight, can legally adopt on their own.
Despite this, same-sex couples were explicitly banned from doing so as a couple in 2010.
Despite being progressive on some LGBT issues, 81 percent of Portugal’s population is Catholic – and the powerful Catholic church remains staunchly opposed to same-sex parenting.
