Same-sex marriage in Lithuania

Same-sex marriages are not legal in Lithuania, with the Civil Code defining marriage as a voluntary agreement between a man and a woman. Moreover, there is an additional article in the Civil Code that explicitly bans same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, a drive to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriages was reportedly under way in December 2005 by a conservative member of the parliament, who has begun to start collecting signatures for such amendment. Julius Sabatauskas, chairman of the parliament's Legal Committee, however, denounced the plan and said it was unneeded. Some MPs say Lithuania's constitution already bans same-sex marriage. The constitution reads "Marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman." The actual effect of this statement is unknown and it has yet to be challenged in court.

References:

* [http://www.baltictimes.com/hot1.php?art_id=14314 "Lithuania could follow in Latvia’s footsteps on banning gay marriage"] The Baltic Times, December 24, 2005

See also

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* Homosexuality laws of the world
* [http://www.247gay.com/article.cfm?section=66&id=8004 "Latvia Officially Blocks Gay Marriage"] Danny McCoy, 247gay.com, December 24,2005