Lawmakers in Hungary have approved
measures that effectively prohibit gay and lesbian couples from
adopting children and define marriage as a heterosexual union.
According to Reuters, lawmakers amended
the nation's constitution to define family as “based on marriage
and the parent-child relationship. The mother is a woman, the father
is a man.”
“Hungary defends the right of
children to identify with their birth gender and ensures their
upbringing based on our nation's constitutional identity and values
based on our Christian culture,” the
document states.
Gay couples were previously allowed to
adopt if one partner applied on their own.
Under the new constitution, only
married couples can adopt children, effectively prohibiting gay
couples. Hungary recognizes gay couples with civil unions.
Amnesty Hungary criticized the move.
“This is a dark day for Hungary's
LGBTQ community and a dark day for human rights,” said David Vig,
the group's director.
Earlier this year, Hungarian lawmakers
passed a law that prevents people who identify as transgender from
changing their gender on official documents.
(Related: After
attending gay sex party, anti-LGBT Hungarian lawmaker resigns.)