Taiwan’s High Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

In May 2017, Taiwan’s highest court system ruled in favor of gay marriage, holding that Taiwan’s current laws violated the rights of same-sex couples. The Parliament, also known as the Legislative Yuan, has two years to amend the existing laws or pass new legislation. While it is unclear as to how far the parliament will go, hopes are that the parliament will amend the existing laws to include same-sex marriage. This will give same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples, including adoption, parenting, and inheritance. This spur was brought about when President Tsai Ing-wen came into power, whose key campaign issues included marriage equality.

Many Taiwanese opposition groups are willing to lobby against the parliament to keep the laws from being passed, arguing that the decision should be left to the people and not a few grand justices. As previously stated, the parliament has two years to change its marriage laws. If the two years pass with no change, then same-sex couples will be able to register for marriage. The bill is presently making its way through the parliament, but the process has slowed due to backlash from the opposition. Check back for updates on this legislation and other similar happenings throughout the world.

The attorneys of Harden Jackson Law are devoted to servicing clients in all areas of family law, including divorce, custody, child support, property division, paternity, post-divorce modifications, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, simple wills, adoption, surrogacy, and other areas of reproductive law. For more information, please contact us at (317) 569-0770 or www.hardenjacksonlaw.com.

Remember, these blog posts are not meant to be legal advice. You should consult an attorney to discuss the specifics of your situation.