Parliament to consider defining family through marriage and parenthood

The Seimas‘ Committee on Legal Affairs has decided, in a close vote, not to support the amendment.

The full parliament, therefore, will first vote on the lead committee’s proposal to reject the draft amendment. If the proposal is voted down, the Seimas may appoint another lead committee or set up a special parliamentary commission to improve the draft amendment.

Some 107 member of the Seimas propose to amend the Constitution by including provisions that “a family is created through marriage” and that “family also arises from motherhood and fatherhood” and that “marriage, family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood are under the protection and care of the state”.

The initiators of the amendment say that the state must support and protect the family as an institution amid the worsening demographic situation in the country.

The government does not back the amendment, saying that it could be discriminatory against people who live together without registering a marriage and run counter to the European Court of Human Rights‘ practice.