Bill on civil partnerships introduced in Ukrainian parliament

Bill No. 9103 on civil partnerships, which should help same-sex and heterosexual couples to obtain the status of close relatives without getting married, was introduced in the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada.

"Our bill on registered partnerships for same-sex and opposite-sex couples has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada! It received number 9103," MP Inna Sovsun reports. "17 of my colleagues from the Voice and Servant of the People factions joined the co-authorship," she said.

After russia's start of a full-scale war, the need to adopt such a document became even more urgent, particularly for the military, the parliamentarian noted.

At the moment, same-sex couples in Ukraine legally do not have the following:

• marriage rights
• cannot jointly own property,
• inherit the property of a partner,
• raise children together.

In the event of the death of one of the partners, the other cannot take custody of their minor children as they are not a direct relative of the deceased.

Partners are also deprived of the right to maintain or care for each other in the event that one of them temporarily or permanently loses the working capacity to be a guardian for an incapacitated partner.

A registered partnership is not a marriage. However, after registration, the partners acquire the status of close relatives, namely a family member of the first degree of consanguinity, regardless of whether they actually live together or run a joint household.

Details of what the bill provides are in the infographic below.