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No. 3 (2024)

Glosy

Parental rights of a homosexual parent. Commentary on judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 16 September 2021 in X v. Poland (application no. 20741/10)

  • Kornelia Grabowska-Biernat
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54383/0031-0344.2024.03.8  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2024-09-13

Abstract

In the case of X v. Poland, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found a violation of Articles 14 and 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in relation to a homosexual mother. The child custody arrangements ordered in her respect in the divorce decree were changed at the request of her husband, after he learnt that the applicant had entered into a relationship with a woman. In the ongoing proceedings, the domestic courts repeated the views of the applicant’s husband, which boiled down to the statement that being raised by a homosexual couple was contrary to the child’s well-being and safety. The ECtHR found that the mother’s rights were violated due to her sexual orientation, but did not go a step further, that is, failed to state that the parent’s sexual orientation does not in itself affect the ability to exercise parental rights. Thus, the Court maintained its current position in this type of cases.

References

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