An amendment granting same-sex couples the right to adopt jointly and for a partner to legally adopt their spouse’s adopted child passed a third reading at the legislature on Tuesday.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The amendment to Article 20 of the Act for the Judicial Yuan’s Implementation of Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 (司法院釋字第七四八號解釋施行法) brings the rights of same-sex couples in line with those afforded to different-sex couples under the Civil Code, closing an oversight criticized by LGBTQ+ and children’s advocates since the passage of same-sex marriage in 2019.
The current act only allows for a same-sex partner to adopt their spouse’s biological child.
Under the amendment, “When one of the parties to the relationship adopts the other party's child or both parties jointly adopt, the provisions of the civil law on adoption shall apply mutatis mutandis.”
The legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee first reviewed the amendment on May 12 last year, after a proposal was submitted jointly by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲), Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), the New Power Party legislative caucus and the Taiwan People’s Party legislative caucus.
The committee made some changes to the amendment on Tuesday last week following cross-party consultations, before passing the amendment today.
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