Toward a historic day

The day when same-sex civil marriage and gay couples’ right to be treated equally as parents are recognized by the Greek state will be historic. Greece will finally be among the countries that do not discriminate against their citizens on the basis of sexual orientation. The truth is that our country was very late in abolishing unfair, immoral and irrational discrimination. It is also true that it is doing so now with difficulty, almost by force, not with the confidence of a genuine progressive liberal democracy.

The justification for the need for reform emphasizes, above all, social problems “that we cannot avoid,” protecting a few socially “marginal” families. Whereas it should be a solemn recognition of new family forms that will maximize love and affection, that will strengthen the institution of the family and increase the prosperity, happiness, freedom and sense of dignity of tens of thousands of Greek women and men.

However, maintaining the ban on same-sex male couples having children through surrogacy is incomprehensible. The notion that surrogacy will be a procreation machine is antiquated, insulting and has been outdated, even legislatively, for 20 years. Let us finally allow women to have full control over their bodies and to be able to use them as they wish. The patriarchal paternalistic concept that wants women’s bodies to be controlled by society should have no place in public debate. Among the families that will now be recognized are those that have had their children in this way.

Why, then, should this unjustified discrimination be adopted? After all, it is bound to fall soon, just as the ban on compensation has fallen. It will fall first in the eyes of society, which will soon discover and exploit the loopholes in the law, and then, I hope, in the European Court of Human Rights. The prime minister ruled out the possibility of Greece doing something “revolutionary,” adopting “advanced ideas on rights issues.” Why, Prime Minister, shouldn’t it do so? Since when is maximizing freedom not a positive thing?

The notion that surrogacy will be a procreation machine is antiquated, insulting and has been outdated, even legislatively, for 20 years

But I don’t want to sound unhappy right now. I am not at all underestimating the fact that this major legislative reform will be implemented by a government backed by a very conservative party. Despite opposition from MPs and staff who hold medieval notions of society, rights and even science. This reform will be associated with the name of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and he can be sure that he will never regret it. Unlike others who could have carried it out much earlier but chose not to do so.

Aristides N. Hatzis is a professor of philosophy of law and theory of institutions at the University of Athens.