On Tuesday, June 20, Estonia’s parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage, making the country the first Baltic state, and the first ex-Soviet state, to legalize same-sex marriage.The vote comes a week after Lauri Hussar, the president of the Riigikogu, Estonia’s unicameral parliament, announced the commitment from the country’s liberal governing coalition to legalize same-sex marriage within a month.The law will take effect on January 1, 2024.
It does not need to be ratified by any other governmental body.In a 55-34 vote, the legislature amended the Family Law Act, which encompasses topics such as alimony, custody, and child support, to permit same-sex couples to wed.
With this amendment, “two adults regardless of their gender” will be able to marry starting in 2024, according to a press statement released by the Estonian Government Communication Unit.Once the law takes effect, same-sex couples will be entitled to the same rights and privileges associated with marriage, including the right to adopt children.
Prior to this change, LGBTQ couples could not adopt children, but single LGBTQ-identifying adults could petition to adopt.Same-sex relationships have been legally recognized in Estonia since 2016 by the Registered Partnership Act.
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