Allowing same-sex couples to adopt children and serve as foster parents would help address the shortage of adoptive and foster families, according to one of the conclusions of an expert analysis of the legal framework governing children and young people without parental care, conducted for the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro (UoMM).
Montenegro is facing challenges within its child protection system, including a limited number of foster families—particularly non-relative foster families—extended stays of children in institutional care, and inadequate mechanisms for securing permanent solutions. In this context, expanding the pool of potential adoptive and foster parents to include same-sex partners represents, according to the expert analysis based on comparative practices across European Union countries, an effective, legally grounded, and socially justified solution.
“According to the analysis we received, comparative practice in 24 European countries, including Croatia and Slovenia, demonstrates the positive effects of allowing same-sex couples to care for children and the overall improvement of child rights protection. Scientific research confirms that children raised by same-sex couples exhibit the same level of psychosocial well-being as children raised in heterosexual families. It is particularly important to note that, according to relevant data, same-sex couples are more frequently represented in adoption and foster care processes than heterosexual couples and tend to demonstrate a high degree of financial and emotional stability. The key message of these findings is that love and care are what make a good family—not the sex or sexual orientation of the parents,” emphasized the Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities Mišela Manojlović.
A common argument raised by critics of such a solution is that children in these families could face peer stigma because of their parents. However, as Manojlović points out, it is the responsibility of the state to educate and protect every child from bullying and other forms of violence, rather than denying an entire group of people the right to parenthood and children the right to a family and care because of the potential intolerance of others. Furthermore, adopting such a legal framework would align the law with existing social realities, as a number of LGBTIQ individuals in Montenegro are already raising children in various ways. These families exist in practice but are not legally recognized. Manojlović concludes that introducing adoption and foster care rights for same-sex couples would undoubtedly bring multiple benefits for both children and society as a whole, while also sending a clear signal that Montenegrin society is mature, tolerant, and oriented toward the future.
- UOM bank account for donations supporting young people without parental care:
530-533471-03.
Union of Municipalities of Montenegro,
Avda Međedovića 138.
- For international donations:
Swift code MNBAMEPG
IBAN CODE: ME25530005130005002095
NAME: Zajednica opština Crne Gore
