Greek prime minister says legislation allowing same-sex marriage will be presented soon

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-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 Wednesday.

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, recognize the status of existing offspring.

“What we are going to legislate is equality in marriage,” 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.”

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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.

Several lawmakers from the right wing of the governing New Democracy party have expressed opposition to any overhaul of Greece’s marriage and parenthood laws to include same-sex couples.

Mitsotakis said in Wednesday’s interview with state-run ERT television that he would not force them to back the proposed legislation, seeking cross-party support to get it approved.

“I believe we will be able to secure the bill’s approval,” he said. “Some people will benefit considerably, in the sense that we will solve a real problem for them ... Some people may disagree (with the law) but they do not stand to lose.”

Mitsotakis said the full details of the proposal would be presented “in the coming days.”

Allowing same-sex civil marriage was a key campaign promise by Mitsotakis, who secured a second four-year term in a landslide election victory last year. His party holds 158 of parliament’s 300 seats.

The issue gained further attention following the summer election of Stefanos Kasselakis as head of the main opposition Syriza party. Kasselakis, who married his male partner in New York in October, caused a stir by expressing the desire to acquire children through a surrogate mother.

On Monday Syriza, which has 36 lawmakers, tabled its own proposed law on same-sex marriage, which would permit parenthood through surrogacy.

Greece currently only allows parenthood through surrogate mothers in the cases of women — single or married — who are unable to bear children on health grounds. As well as heterosexual couples, single men or women are allowed to adopt.

The country legalized same-sex civil partnerships in 2015.

The Orthodox Church of Greece has opposed same-sex civil marriage, arguing that it would create a legal obligation to eventually follow up with parental rights. It rules out religious marriages for same-sex couples, and expresses deep reservations on any form of surrogate motherhood.

On Monday, Pope Francis called for a universal ban on what he dubbed the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in a speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity.