The Government’s proposal to abandon the ban on promoting the concept of the LGBTQ+ family was rejected by the Seimas

50 parliamentarians voted for such amendments prepared by the Ministry of Justice, but 56 were against, 19 abstained.

The draft law was mostly opposed by the opposition, with the exception of four social democrats: Algirdas Sys, Orints Leiputė, Linas Jonauskas and Gintautas Paluckas.

The faction of the Freedom Party voted unanimously for the amendment. At that time, votes were divided in the ranks of the Liberal Movement faction – Jonas Varkalys, Ričardas Juška, Juozas Baublys were against the Government’s proposal, Viktoras Pranckietis and Romualdas Vaitkus abstained, others supported the amendment.

Conservatives Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Audronius Ažubalis, Paulius Saudargas, Valdas Rakutis, Vilija Aleknaitė-Abramikienė did not support the project, Kazys Starkevičius, Arvydas Pocius, Antanas Čepononis, Algis Strelčiūnas, Irena Haase, Antanas Matulas, Dainius Kreivys, Vilius Semeška, Edmundas Pupinis abstained because of it. Jonas Gudauskas, Andrius Kupčinskas, Mindaugas Skritulskas, Mindaugas Urbanavičius.

In the amendments rejected by the Seimas, it was proposed to abandon the provision now included in the law, that information that has a negative impact on minors is such “which despises family values, promotes a different concept of marriage and family formation than that established in the Constitution and the Civil Code”.

“Currently, Hungary has a similar regulation, where the European Commission has not only found a violation, but also filed a lawsuit,” said Ewelina Dobrowolska, presenting the draft law.

Žygimantos Gedvilas/BNS photo/Ewelina Dobrowolska

The amendments were made after Lithuania’s lost litigation at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the suspension of the publication of the book “Amber heart”. It describes same-sex relationships, publications.

The case was filed in the Strasbourg court by the now deceased writer Neringa Macatė. The ECtHR found that by restricting the publication of the book, Lithuania violated the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms related to freedom of expression.

The book was published by the Lithuanian University of Education in 2013, but the distribution of the book was stopped after a few months.

The university based such a decision on the letter of the Journalists’ Ethics Inspector Service, in which N. Macatė’s book is named as causing harm to children under 14 years of age. At that time, the service explained its position with the valid legal regulation.

Agnė Širinskienė, who belongs to a mixed group of Seimas members, said before the vote that listening to the minister’s arguments gives the impression that a “party of lies and liars” is taking place in the Seimas.

“The adoption of the draft law is not necessary for the implementation of the ECtHR decision,” said the politician.

According to the MP, the law prohibits insulting family values ​​and promoting the concept of the LGBTQ+ family instead of providing information.

“Neither disparagement nor promotion is a simple presentation of information.” What the minister is doing now, by removing this restriction, she basically allows family values ​​to be despised in front of children, to encourage children to enter into other marriages, homosexual marriages”, said A.Širinskienė.

In turn, the leader of the opposition Labor Party, Andrius Mazuronis, also stated that the decision of the ECtHR can be implemented without changing the law.

“It seems to me that the practice in the legislature is very simple: if you can not change the law, if its provisions do not cause practical difficulties in implementation, then they simply do not need to be changed,” said the politician.

After the vote, E. Dobrowolska wrote on Facebook that “the Seimas disappointed a lot of people today, because this project has never had such broad support as today”.

“Writers and translators have expressed concern about the right to self-expression, psychologists about the emotional state of society and the bullying that continues to be fueled and, of course, members of the LGBTQ+ community who are just seeking equality.” It is not surprising that at home the Seimas is shy to declare out loud what Lithuania constantly supports in all EU formats, that homosexual citizens are equal, their families are families, and their love is love,” said the minister.

“However, it is very disappointing that the decision presented to the Seimas today would have implemented the decision of the ECHR in the case Macaitė v. Lithuania. “The decision by which the grand chamber of the ECHR recognized the “protection of minors” in force in Lithuania today as incompatible with the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,” she added.

E. Dobrowolska said that the Seimas failed the rule of law exam and “put Lithuania on the bench of the EU”.