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A Croatian court is paving the way for same-sex couples to adopt children

A court in Croatia has ruled in favor of a gay couple in a case concerning the right to adopt a child.

Mladens Kožičs and Ivo Šegota filed a lawsuit for discrimination after the Public Welfare Center rejected their application for adoption in 2016 because they are a same-sex couple.

Kožič and Šegota are life partners, and this legal status in Croatia gives them almost the same rights as married couples.

The Zagreb Administrative Court last month overturned the center’s decision, rejecting its argument that it was not in the child’s best interests to be adopted into a gay family. The court’s decision was made public today.

The court noted that the center had not provided sufficient explanations and cited the Croatian constitution, which states that all people have equal rights and freedoms.

The Ministry of Social Policy can still appeal against the court’s decision.

“This historic decision opens the door to all gay and lesbian couples in Croatia who want to adopt a child,” said Daniel Martinovich, head of the Rainbow Family Association.

The court’s decision guarantees that same-sex couples will not be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation, Martinovich told AFP.

“Now they can contact their community welfare center and fearlessly apply for adoption for adoption,” he added.

Kožičs and Šegota won in court a year after another victory in the case on the right to become foster parents.-

About 400 gay couples have registered as life partners in Croatia, and dozens are interested in adopting a child, according to information available to the Martinovich-led association.

There are about 2,000 children living in care homes in Croatia, and only less than a hundred are adopted each year.

Religious organizations are fighting to ban same-sex couples from adopting children. The Catholic organization Vigilare has named the court’s decision on shame on the social network Facebook.

“Already injured children from orphanages should not become guinea pigs in the games and experiments of some adults,” writes Vigilare.

Opinion polls show that most Croats are opposed to same-sex couples adopting children.

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