“Experts, not ministers, should decide on such matters, people who can decide on the circumstances that will best support help children in growing into happy and balanced members of society,” Magyar said at a press conference.

On Sunday, Magyar wrote on Facebook: “Love and affection are a fundamental right. In a humane Hungary, everyone may love whoever they like, whichever way they like, as long as they do not harm others or violate the law.”

The planned changes have prompted opposition from the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP), which does not support adoption by same-sex couples.

Bence Rétvári, leader of the KDNP parliamentary group, said adoption “is primarily about the children, not the adults.”

He said the number of barren couples is growing, with an increasing number of men and women waiting together to become parents.

Rétvári said children need “loving parents, a mother and a father” and added that the KDNP stands by the position that the interests of children come first and will not support adoption by same-sex couples.

Rétvári also said that some EU funds remained frozen because Hungary had refused to fully submit to the progressive left-wing ideological demands represented by Brussels and international organisations.

“Magyar is not only surrendering Hungary’s economic interests to multinational corporations in exchange for foreign political support and the release of EU funds, but also opening the door to ideological colonisation," he said. 

"Magyar has openly become a gender activist,” he added. 

LGBTQ, human rights groups offer cooperation in adoption reform

LGBTQ+ and human rights organisations are ready to participate in rethinking adoption rules, their representatives told MTI on Monday, in response to recent statements by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, welcoming the government's plans to strengthen equality for LGBTQ+ individuals.

In recent days, Magyar spoke of his willingness to discuss changes to the legal framework regarding same-sex marriage and adoption. The prime minister promised that, in the future, decisions on who may adopt children would be made by experts rather than politicians, with the best interests of the child in mind.

Aaron Demeter, communications director of Amnesty International Hungary, emphasised that, as a human rights organisation working for marriage equality, they viewed Magyar's statements as an encouraging sign. He said they welcomed the prime minister's position that "love and the right to love are fundamental rights."

He called for the laws adopted under the "Orban regime" which severely restrict the rights of sexual minorities to be repealed without delay. "Only then could marriage and adoption become possible for same-sex couples," he said, adding that the issue enjoyed the support of the majority of society.

Noting that concrete policy details are not yet available, Demeter said Amnesty International Hungary would "gladly" share their experience with the government. A policy package outlining steps to achieve equality for the LGBTQ+ community has already been sent to the government, he added.

The Labrisz Lesbian Association also welcomed the government's pledge that experts, rather than politicians, would decide who is suitable to adopt a child. Maria Kristofi, a representative of the association and a member of the Hungarian LGBTQ+ Alliance, highlighted their ongoing advocacy work, including engaging with the relevant ministries.

Under current laws, same-sex couples cannot jointly adopt children, even if in a registered partnership, Kristofi noted. This meant that only one partner was officially recognised as a parent, while the other had no legal connection to the child, she said.

Besides a change in that state of affairs, Labrisz also calls for regulation preventing lesbian women from accessing artificial insemination to be repealed, she said.

They also urged changes to the law that bans legal name changes for transgender individuals and the repeal of amendments to the assembly law targeting LGBTQ+ people, Kristofi said.

Tamas Dombos, executive director of the Hatter Society, told MTI that a significant shift in government rhetoric was noticeable. He said they increasingly saw pro-equality statements from government politicians, along with promises to repeal the discriminatory rules introduced in 2021.

He considered the most important step to be creating the possibility for same-sex couples to jointly adopt children. He noted that in recent years, the legal environment had prevented LGBTQ+ individuals from adopting, with applications already being rejected at the guardianship authority level.

However, since the elections, guardianship authorities had taken a different approach, he said, noting that in recent weeks the minister approved adoptions for several same-sex couples living in partnerships.

Marton Pal, a trustee of the Rainbow Families Foundation, called the most pressing issue the fact that, in rainbow families, only one partner was the official guardian.

This meant these children lived at a legal disadvantage: in case of the death of their official adopting parent, the other parent had no legal connection to the child.

He also considered it important that same-sex couples were more open than heterosexual couples to adopting children from minority backgrounds or with illnesses.

Photo: Pixabay

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