Full Breakdown
Hungary to Overturn 2020 Adoption Ban on Same-Sex Couples
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Change Announced
On September 12, Prime Minister Peter Magyar told reporters that his government will repeal the 2020 rule that required the family-affairs minister to approve adoptions by single applicants, a mechanism that has functioned as an effective ban on gay and lesbian couples.
Background of the 2020 Law
The amendment to the Civil Code passed by Viktor Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party in 2020 mandated ministerial approval for adoptions by single persons. A government decree put the rule into force on March 1, 2021, making the family-policy minister the final arbiter. Orban’s government argued that children thrive only in families with a mother and a father, and the measure halted joint adoption by same-sex couples, leaving them to apply only as sole adopters.
Impact on Adoption Numbers
During the first two years after the decree, the ministry’s administrative departments approved most applications from professionally vetted single applicants, but the multi-layered review process slowed many cases, leaving a “significant proportion” without a decision. By 2024, only 11 single parents succeeded in adopting a child, illustrating how the rule has constrained both single and same-sex prospective parents.
Official Statements & Responses
Magyar reiterated that adoption decisions should not be political, emphasizing that “professionals” rather than a minister will assess each child’s needs. The European Court of Justice ruled in April that Hungary’s restrictions on LGBTQ-related content violated EU law, a judgment that underscored broader concerns about the country’s treatment of LGBTQ rights.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We can state unequivocally that we will change this system: it should not be the minister, a politician ... who makes the decision in such cases, but rather professionals capable of determining the conditions under which a given young child can ?achieve ... a life that allows them to become a happy and harmonious member of society,” — Peter Magyar, prime minister