Lithuania - December 2024

On 6 December, a Vilnius District Court ruling that recognized Jūratė Juškaitė as the mother of a child born to her partner came into effect. The decision, reached on 6 November, makes it possible for Juškaitė to request Vilnius municipality’s civil registry to list her as the child’s mother in official documents, and marks the first time a same-sex partner has secured the legal status of parenthood. Legal parenthood entails the right to parental leave, inheritance rights for the child, as well as the right to act as the child’s legal representative, which for example enables Juškaitė to seek medical care for her child without the need for special authorization. Lithuania does not legally recognize same-sex partnerships, and draft legislation recognizing same-sex partnerships has struggled to gain sufficient support in Parliament.

Sources: LRT, Baltic Times, 15min, TV3