Three same-sex couples are suing for the right to adopt, with the hopes of reaching the Council of Grand Justices for a constitutional interpretation, a coalition of LGBT rights groups said yesterday.
It has been two years since marriage equality was legalized, but same-sex couples still do not enjoy the same rights as mixed-sex couples when it comes to adoption, the groups told a news conference in Taipei under the slogan “do not make light of children’s rights.”
The law governing same-sex marriage only allows a spouse to adopt the biological child of their partner, preventing the partners from adopting as a couple, Taiwan Equality Campaign chief executive Jennifer Lu (呂欣潔) said.
Photo: CNA
This means that even if the couple is married, one spouse is a stranger to their adopted child under the law, she said.
Garden of Hope Foundation chief executive Wang Yueh-hao (王玥好) said that in her experience hosting adoption information sessions, same-sex couples are among the best prepared, materially and psychologically.
This legal restriction also severely infringes on the rights of children, as they might be forcefully taken from their home if their legal parent dies, placing them in an unstable environment, Wang said.
Three couples who have adopted children shared their experiences to illustrate the importance of amending the law.
Among them were Yi Ling (怡伶) and Yi Ju (怡如), who have been together for 11 years and in 2019 began adoption procedures.
A court ruled that Yi Ju was permitted to adopt a son last year.
Yi Ling said that she loves their son “more than words can express,” but according to the law, she is a stranger to him.
Earlier this year, Yi Ju began feeling sick, forcing the couple to have discussions they describe as “terrible” as they waited for Yi Lu’s biopsy results.
“If something happened to Yi Ju, I would have no way of obtaining guardianship over our son,” Yi Ling said. “He would lose both his mothers at once.”
Attorney Lee Yen-jong (李晏榕), who is representing the couples’ legal team, said that the rule contravenes the right to equality under the Constitution and the best interests of the child principle under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
From the perspective of the child, they have two fathers or two mothers, but legally, only one of them has the right to make major decisions on their behalf, she said.
The team hopes that the case could reach the Council of Grand Justices, who can issue an interpretation to fundamentally reverse this situation, Lee added.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by