Taiwan Allows First Adoption by Same-Sex Couples Without Relatives

Screenshot of Taiwan Rainbow Equality Platform. Source: Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] In Taiwan, where same-sex marriage has been legalized, the first case of a same-sex couple officially adopting a child with no blood relation has occurred.

According to Taiwan media such as United Daily News on the 5th, a same-sex couple living in southern Kaohsiung, Weiwei (alias) and Miaomiao (alias), received a court approval document yesterday to officially adopt a 5-month-old girl whom Weiwei had adopted as a single person in January 2019.

Since the Special Act on Same-Sex Marriage enacted in May 2019 prohibited adopting children without blood relations, they applied for adoption permission at the local Juvenile and Family Court in July of the same year.

The court officially approved their adoption application on the 25th of last month. They plan to visit the household registration office on the 13th to officially register the adoption.

The court stated, "The decision to approve the adoption was made based on prioritizing the rights and interests of the adopted child and the relevant civil law provisions on adoption." The court also referred to the professional judgment of a social worker who visited their home.

However, the effect of this ruling is limited to them. Through Facebook, they stated that although their case has become a precedent, it is only an individual case, and that revision of the Special Act on Same-Sex Marriage and constitutional interpretation by the Supreme Court are necessary.

Taiwan became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage by passing a bill in May 2019. However, according to the related law provision allowing adoption only of the biological children of one spouse, adoption of children without guardianship has not been carried out.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.