‘The mother is a woman, the father is a man:’ Hungary passes law that bans adoption by same-sex couples

Hungary’s parliament recently passed a law that effectively bans adoption by same-sex couples, which further restricts the rights of LGBTQ people in the country.

The new law also applies a conservative stance on the legal definition of a family, wherein based on Hungary’s National Assembly’s decision, “The family relationship is the marriage and the parent-child relationship. The mother is a woman, the father is a man.”

With the new law, only married couples will be allowed to adopt children, while a single person who wishes to adopt must have a special permission from the minister in charge of family affairs. Same-sex marriage in Hungary is not permitted but civil unions are allowed.

Before the rule change, same-sex couples could only adopt if one of the partners applies as a single person.

LGBTQ advocate and Amnesty Hungary director David Vig slams the move as an “attempt to rush through these, homophobic and transphobic new laws are part of an ongoing attack on LGBTQ people by Hungarian authorities."

Hungary’s government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is known for its hostility towards the LGBTQ community over the years.

Just recently, amid the rage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hungary's parliament voted to remove transgender people of their right to legally change their gender, a right that took the community years to secure.