ECHR Claims Poland ‘Violating Human Rights’ for Not Recognising Same-Sex Partnerships
25th September 2024
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the lack of legal recognition for same-sex partnerships in Poland violates the human rights of such couples.
The case against Poland was brought by four Polish women—one of the couples got married in the United Kingdom, the other in Denmark. Their request to have their foreign marriages registered in Poland was refused on the basis that that would violate the constitution, which defines marriage as “a union of a man and a woman.”
The women complained that they were being prevented from benefiting from spouses’ rights under Polish law to make tax-free donations to one another, to file joint tax returns, to receive benefits for caring for one another, and to extend health insurance to one another.