The Georgian Parliament supported the draft law on Family Values and the Protection of Minors during its first reading with 78 votes and none against.

The Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili emphasized the importance of this decision.

“Today, the Parliament has made a momentous decision. On May 17, a people’s referendum took place across Georgia, where one million citizens voiced their support for this legislative package through public demonstrations, demanding that Parliament translate their mandate into law.

Today, Parliament has taken the first step towards fulfilling this demand by approving the package in its initial reading. Additionally, we deliberated on a draft constitutional amendment. As you know, constitutional amendments require a three-fourths majority for immediate enactment. Since the opposition is currently absent from the session hall, I will defer this vote to a future session when the opposition members are present. They must take responsibility for their stance on this constitutional project before the public and decide in the session hall. Therefore, this vote will be rescheduled to ensure their participation and accountability,” the Speaker declared.

The legislative package, initiated by the ruling party Georgian Dream on June 4, proposes amendments to Article 30 of the Constitution of Georgia. It affirms that the protection of family values ​​and minors is ensured by a Constitutional Law that forms an integral part of Georgia’s Constitution.

The proposed constitutional law addresses various issues such as marriage, adoption and foster care of minors, medical interventions related to gender identity, official recognition of gender in documents, and the use of gender-related terms in public discourse and information dissemination.