Center-right New Democracy’s (ND) bill on gay marriage equality and adoption right saw widespread support among parliamentarians on Monday, despite polls showing that a majority of Greeks disagree with many of its aspects.
ND MP Maria Syrengela hailed the bill as “yet another reformist action” by the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Of ND’s 158 MPs, around 100 are expected to vote in favor of the bill, while the remaining 58 are either standing against it or will abstain from the vote entirely.
Abstaining from the vote, as opposed to outright voting against it, is a move which was encouraged by Mitsotakis but condemned by former PM and current MP Antonis Samaras.
Leftist SYRIZA MPs, holding 36 seats, noted that while their party is in support of the bill, some of its details could cause legal problems from male couples, as well as future judicial disputes.
Socialist PASOK MPs, holding 32 seats, say they will support the bill but condemned what they call was the government’s cultivated division of society on the matter.
Communist KKE MPs, holding 21 seats, will not be supporting the bill, condemning it as a commercialization of child-bearing and adoption, and undermines children’s rights to develop bonds with both a mother and a father as male and female role models, echoing the criticisms of ND’s Samaras on the matter.
Right wing Greek Solution party, holding 12 seats, condemned the bill and the government on the grounds of dividing society and going up against centuries of norms and values.
Leftist-progressive New Left MPs, a SYRIZA splinter faction holding 11 seats, praised the bill as a victory day for LGBT rights, and criticized KKE for standing against it.
Right wing Niki (Victory) party, holding 10 seats, also condemned the proposed bill and called on ND’s and the MPs of other parties who are against it to not abstain from the vote, but rather openly vote against it on grounds of conscience.
Aggregated from the results of many polls over recent months, the issue of marriage equality has been consistently showing that a clear majority of society stands generally against the proposal, while around 70% stand against gay adoption regardless of party affiliation or voting intention.
An even higher percentage of respondents also stand against the idea of homosexuals having children via surrogate mothers, and while this idea is not part of the government’s proposed bills, it is expected to be pushed forward via the European Court of Human Rights as soon as it is legislated.
