‘Sexual orientation cannot be basis for restricting civil rights’: Russian MP slams proposals to ban same-sex marriage & adoption

17 Jul, 2020 12:41

By Jonny Tickle

Prominent Russian politician and TV presenter Oksana Pushkina has revealed her opposition to proposed amendments to the country’s ‘Family Code’, which would ban same-sex couples from marrying and adopting children.

On Wednesday, seven Russian politicians, led by Senator Elena Mizulina, introduced a package of bills that would legally prohibit same-sex marriage, ban gay couples from adopting children, and prevent people from getting married and adopting after gender reassignment.

In an interview with Russian channel TV Rain, Pushkina admitted that she called the changes “an absolutely insane law.” 

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Referring to Article 19 of Russia’s Constitution, which guarantees equal rights and freedoms to all citizens, Pushkina emphasized that “sexual orientation cannot be the basis for restricting civil rights.”

On July 1, Russian citizens voted in favor of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Before the vote, in March, the country’s Constitutional Court insisted that the change to the constitution does not end the state’s obligation to respect differences, including sexual orientation.

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