A Lithuanian court has for the first time recognised a same-sex partner as a full-fledged parent of a child.
“From today, our family feels safer. The Vilnius District Court’s ruling that recognises me as the mother of our little girl has come into effect,” Jūratė Juškaitė, director of the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights, posted on Facebook on Friday.
She is raising her daughter with Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson Birutė Sabatauskaitė, the girl’s biological mother.
Lawyer Donatas Murauskas, who represented Juškaitė in court, told BNS on Friday that, to his knowledge, this is the first such court decision in Lithuania.
“In this case, the child will have two mothers,” he said.
According to Murauskas, the ruling opens the way for Juškaitė to ask the Civil Registry Office of the Vilnius City Municipality to list her as the child’s second mother in official documents.
He said that while this case does not set a legal precedent, it could inspire other families in similar situations to improve their legal standing.
“Family cases are very individual, but yes, it could certainly inspire and give hope to families who don’t fit into the traditional definition of a family,” the lawyer said.
“This case definitely shows that Lithuanian courts hear, assess the factual circumstances, see the constitutional standards, know the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and examine each individual case very carefully,” he added.
According to the lawyer, Juškaitė has now acquired all the rights and obligations of a mother.
“The legal status of parenthood greatly influences both the rights and obligations regarding the child. Juškaitė will be able to take parental leave and handle practical matters as the child’s legal representative, such as taking the child to the doctor, communicating directly with the child’s teachers, picking up and dropping off the child at school, without the need for special authorisation or proving each time that she is not just a random person,” he explained.
Murauskas noted that this will also make things easier for the child, such as granting her the right to inherit property without additional taxes.
Neither same-sex partnership nor same-sex marriage is legally recognised in Lithuania.
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