The pro-European government in Poland on Tuesday introduced a draft bill in Parliament that would allow registered partnerships for both heterosexual and same-sex couples. The proposal would, among other provisions, grant couples access to each other’s medical records. It would also enable inheritance of property and the filing of a joint tax return.
This law represents the largest legislative push yet to strengthen LGBTQ rights in the predominantly Catholic country. However, the government’s bill would not provide for a shared surname or for the adoption of children.
Minister speaks of “historic moment”
The Polish Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula, one of the co-authors of the draft, described the move as a “historic moment.”
Conservatives in Poland, many of whom are allied with the Catholic Church, have long attacked measures to protect LGBTQ rights as “gender ideology” promoted by foreign powers.
Even if lawmakers approve the bill, it could be blocked by the right-wing, conservative President Karol Nawrocki. He has previously threatened to veto any law that would undermine the constitutionally protected status of marriage.
Majority of the population against marriage for all
Poland, alongside Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, is among the last EU member states that have not yet legalized same-sex marriages or registered partnerships.
According to an Ipsos poll conducted this year, only 31 percent of Poles support extending marriage to all couples, while 62 percent back legal recognition of same-sex registered partnerships. (AFP)
