Czechia to issue new birth certificates for children of same-sex parents

Children of same-sex couples in Czechia are set to get new birth certificates that officially recognize their parents' true gender according to a recently announced government decree.

Up until now, birth certificates of children raised by parents of the same sex incorrectly display the categories “mother” and “father.” This can cause bureaucratic issues later in a child’s life, iDnes writes.

The new decree is to come into force in July of this year. 

According to the ministry, "the amendment should have a positive impact on the equal treatment of same-sex parents, which would secondarily improve the lives of their children.” One significant problem at present is that parents in a same-sex partnership cannot fully register themselves in Czech registry records, and the change to birth certificates will remedy this.

Somebody raised by same-sex parents who wishes to get married will also be able to fill out a slightly amended certificate of marriage, to reflect their upbringing.

The law comes after a 2018 court case in the Brno Regional Court, in which a girl’s parents demanded to not be misgendered on their daughter’s birth certificate. At that time, the Ministry of Interior ruled that nothing could be done because all birth certificate formats’ across the country had to be exactly the same.

The plan has already been met with criticism, however. The Alliance for Family charity is organizing a protest today outside the Interior Ministry building in Prague against the changes. “Every child wants and needs a mother and father,” according to the organization.

“We could no longer tolerate the social engineering that [Minister of Interior] Vít Rakušan is preparing at a time of unprecedented economic crises,” the Alliance for Family added. According to its chairwoman Jana Jochová, children should not be divided into two separate categories, one of which not knowing about their biological parents. 

This news will be welcomed by pro-LGBTQ+ groups, who have long campaigned for greater rights. A 2020 survey found that two-thirds of Czechs see no issue with same-sex couples raising children. This is a sharp rise from 42 percent in 2012 - pro-gay-rights groups will hope that this progress is continued.