In January and February, there were two votes in the Portuguese Parliament on same-sex parenting.

A first vote rejected extending access to medically assisted reproduction for single women and lesbian couples. A second vote rejected extending to same-sex couples (married or in a de facto union) the possibility of applying for adoption.

In both cases, same-sex parenting was supported by the Left Block and the Greens and by a vast majority of the Socialists, even though the current Socialist leadership refused to endorse this legislation.

In both cases, the Communist Party voted against the legislation as well as almost all of the MPs from the right-wing parties that currently hold a majority in Parliament.

Despite several attempts to call attention to the importance of safeguarding children that are already raised by same-sex couples in Portugal (namely in the Conference ‘Families’ is plural), the Portuguese Parliament refused to recognize the need to ensure equal rights to these children – and put prejudice ahead of the best interests of many children.

A project on second-parent adoption has been announced for the near future by Socialist MPs.