Greek Prime Minister says legislation allowing same-sex marriage will be presented soon

Greece’s centre-right government will soon submit legislation allowing same-sex civil marriages, despite reservations among its own lawmakers and the country’s influential Orthodox Church, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

Greece's centre-right government will soon submit legislation allowing same-sex civil marriages, despite reservations among its own lawmakers and the country's influential Orthodox Church, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on January 10.

But he stressed that the proposed law would not extend the right to future parenthood through surrogate mothers to same-sex couples — an issue that has divided Greek society. It would, however, recognise the status of existing offspring.

“What we are going to legislate is equality in marriage,” Mr. Mitsotakis said. “We will remove any discrimination concerning sexual orientation in the issue of marital relationship.”

But, he added, "we won't change the law on assisted parenthood. The idea of women who are turned into child-producing machines on demand ... that is not going to happen.”

The proposed law, he said, would protect the existing children of same-sex parents, including those adopted or born to surrogates abroad. That would confer full parental rights to a surviving parent in the event of their partner's death.

Opinion polls suggest Greeks are evenly divided on the issue of same-sex marriage, but opposed to extending full parental rights to gay or lesbian couples.

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