Peter Magyar announces changes to Hungary’s adoption law for same-sex couples

Hungary’s government will amend legislation that effectively blocked same-sex couples from adopting children, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on Saturday. The change concerns a law adopted in 2020 by the government led by Viktor Orban and aims to transfer the decision from a minister to specialists.

Until the end of 2020, gay and lesbian couples could adopt in Hungary if one partner applied as a single person. Subsequently, applications from single people were made conditional on approval by the family minister, a measure that amounted to a ban on same-sex couples adopting.

Peter Magyar, who removed Orban after 16 years in power, said the assessment should be carried out by professionals capable of determining the child’s best interests and the conditions necessary for their development.

Orban’s government also adopted other restrictive measures concerning LGBT rights, including banning changes to gender markers in official documents and restricting materials about homosexuality and gender transition in schools. In April, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that some of these regulations violate European law. Hungary does not recognize same-sex marriages but allows civil unions.