Verkhovna Rada committee supports draft bill on civil partnerships for same-sex couples

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance, and Health Insurance supported a draft law legalizing civil partnerships between same-sex couples on Aug. 9, the bill's co-sponsor lawmaker Dmytro Hurin said. The committee recommended the draft bill for adoption in the first reading.

Neither same-sex marriages nor civil partnerships are currently recognized by Ukrainian law. However, given the number of soldiers identifying as part of the LGBTQ community that are fighting in the war, many lawmakers are recognizing the importance of granting legal rights to such couples.

According to the proposed bill, the status of civil partners, if passed, will equate to a relationship between close relatives. Same-sex couples will have mutual rights and obligations as heterosexual couples when it comes to property ownership, inheritance, social protection, and rights in case of the death or disappearance of a partner serving in the armed forces, but will not be able to adopt children together or take custody of them.

In March 2023, Lawmaker Inna Sovsun, who is part of the Holos (Voice) political faction, announced that she had submitted a draft law on the registration of same-sex couples as civil partners.

The draft law is yet to be voted on by the Verkhovna Rada - Ukraine's parliament, but has previously received the support of four parliamentary committees.

When introducing the bill in March 2023, Sovsun claimed that 56% of Ukrainians agree that LGBTQ couples should have the right to civil partnerships. She added that homophobia in Ukrainian society was a remnant of Russian and Soviet influence that needed to be discarded.

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