"We are here to deal with an existing social reality together, with responsibility, putting an end to an inequality that is serious for our democracy. To protect the self-evident rights of children with the shield of their parents and to finally do justice to the daily lives of our fellow citizens [in same sex partnerships]," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday in Parliament.
The prime minister said that the reform brought by the government is making people's lives better without taking anything away from the majority.
"The two parents in same-sex couples do not yet have the same opportunities, legally, to provide care for their children. To pick them up from school, to travel with them, to accompany them to the hospital," Mitsotakis said among other things.
"We are about to fill in this gap by allowing everyone, if they wish, to formally seal their relationship with a ceremony at a town hall, just as heterosexual couples do. The ability of our democracy to integrate every citizen equally is being weighed," he pointed out, noting that this applies in 36 countries in Europe and the world.
The prime minister said that marriage is nothing more than the culmination of the love of two people who choose to be together. "That is why the legal systems are adapted internationally in response to modern practical demands," he pointed out.
Mitsotakis said that this particular reform is both useful and necessary, but also that its content should be explained.
"First we are extending the rights of children to those who already live with same-sex couples," he said, noting that the framework for assisted reproduction does not change, nor is there any "parent 1" and "parent 2".
He stated that religious marriage are exclusively an affair of the Church, whose positions the government respects.
The prime minister said that scientists' research answers any questions regarding the impact on children. "I understand those who have the traditional concept of family in mind and may be concerned. We want to stop discrimination. Today we have indisputable data, which goes beyond our subjective beliefs. Happy children can also grow up with parents of the same sex," he added, noting that what makes the difference in a home is love and affection.
"Even today there are single-parent, divorced families. Today divorce is unfortunately a reality. The solution does not lie in the blind denial of situations and reality. Otherwise, all we would be doing is creating citizens of "different speeds". It does not suit our democracy and culture," he stressed.
"Let's not confuse conservatism with going backward," Mitsotakis said, pointing out that the bill implements very specific pledges included in the programme the government presented in its election campaign.
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