Honduras: Congress Approves Ban on LGBTI Adoptions

The Honduran Congress has approved a bill prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting children. Legislators debated and approved modifications to the country’s Adoption Law, which singled out the LGBTI community, in just 15 days.

RELATED: 
Honduras: Indigenous Groups Reject New Consultation Law

“It is prohibited to give girls or boys in adoption to marriages or unions formed by people of the same sex,” article 22 of the legislation approved Thursday states.

Doris Gutierrez, a legislator of the Innovation and Democratic Social Unity Party, justified the bill arguing “we haven’t accepted same-sex marriage or unions so we can’t go against that constitutional disposition.”

The LGBTI community rejected the new bill and lamented the persecution against them. “This is nothing new, what they are doing now is regulating adoption, regrettably for the sexual diversity community, we lost the right ten years ago,” LGBTI activist Erick Martinez told EFE.

The prohibition was unnecessary, LGBTI activists claim because in Honduras same-sex marriage is illegal and only married couples can adopt. They argue the ban targets the community and promotes discrimination.

“This is how we see that the Honduran state is bent against the community,” Martinez said.

Legislator Josue Carbajal of the Liberty and Refoundation Party, or Libre, slammed Congress for failing to discuss a sexual education law that could combat Honduras’ high rate of teen pregnancies.

“We continue approving laws of the effect without addressing the cause,” Carbajal said before inviting legislators to debate a law to introduce sex education in schools.

Carbajal also condemned that Honduras banned the emergency contraception pill. “Why don’t we talk about the emergency contraception pill. It is allowed in all Latin America, but not in Honduras. Since the coup the use of emergency contraception was banned,” he said.