The new family law approved by Parliament today will enter into force at the beginning of next year.
Lawmakers in Estonia approved same-sex marriages on Tuesday. The law was approved in the 101-seat parliament by a vote of 55-32 and will enter into force at the beginning of next year.
Estonia becomes the first Baltic country to allow same-sex marriages.
The vote on the new family law was also a vote of confidence in the prime minister Kaja Kallasen for the centre-right government led by
– Everyone should have the right to marry and commit to the person they love. With this decision, we are finally joining the ranks of all democracies where equal marriage has been achieved, Kallas commented.
– This decision does not take anything away from anyone, but gives something important to many, Kallas continued.
Attitudes have changed
According to opinion polls, 53 percent of Estonians support allowing same-sex marriages. A decade ago, the same figure was 34 percent, the news agency Reuters reported.
Despite changing attitudes, 38 percent of Estonians still do not consider homosexuality acceptable. Same-sex marriage is opposed, especially among the country’s Russian-speaking population.
In Estonia, homosexuals are usually not open about their identity. According to the country’s authorities, half of openly homosexuals say they have experienced harassment, Reuters writes.
– This was a good opportunity for the government, because public opinion has turned in support of allowing same-sex marriage, comments the director of the security-focused think tank ICDS Tomas Jermalavicius news agency Reuters.
Source: AP, Reuters