Greek lawmakers have passed a bill legalizing same-sex unions in the nation.
The 300-seat parliament voted 176 times in favor of the bill and 76 times against it, passing it on Thursday following two days of intense debate.
Apart from endorsing same-sex unions, the legislature authorized gay couples to adopt children.
Additionally, it grants same-sex spouses the legal guardianship rights over a kid. These rights were formerly reserved for biological parents.
Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, promised to approve the new laws following his reelection last year.
Citing comparable laws, Mitsotakis, who has also been outspoken in favor of legalizing same-sex partnerships, informed his cabinet that the issue was one of equal rights and not a taboo one citing similar legislations in other countries.
He declared that there will be no “children of a lesser God” or “second-class citizens” under his reign.
Greece is among the most socially conservative nations in Europe, with a strong emphasis on the traditional family unit.
The powerful orthodox church considers homosexuality to be abnormal, which is why there has been some opposition to the new rules.
In the Greek city of Athens, a large gathering of Christian conservatives performed prayers, carried banners, held crosses, and sang Bible verses in Syntagma Square.
The church claimed in a statement that the proposal would “corrupt the homeland’s social cohesion.”
Nonetheless, Greek LGBTQ organizations applauded the vote.
According to the BBC, fifteen of the twenty-seven nations of the European Union have already made same-sex marriage legal. It is currently allowed in 35 countries worldwide.
Greece has until now been behind some of it’s European neighbors, mostly due to resistance from the church.
It is currently the first nation in southeast Europe to provide equal marriage rights.
In 2015, the nation allowed same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, although at that time, equal parenting rights were not granted.
