Bill No. 9103 is a draft law on establishing registered partnerships, which was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 13 March 2023 by a group of deputies. It aims to establish the legal status of registered partnerships as "a voluntary union of two persons of the same or different sex who are not married" for cohabitation and household management.

The bill has sparked controversy and protests from some NGOs, religious communities, and local councils, who say it goes against family values and the Constitution of Ukraine.

Among the local councils that have disagreed with draft law No. 9103 are Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Lutsk, and others. These local councils have adopted resolutions or appeals to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, demanding that they reject draft law No. 9103 or refuse to agree to its consideration.

They believe Bill No. 9103 “contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine, which defines marriage as the voluntary union of a man and a woman.” They also argue that Bill 9103 ‘undermines the Ukrainian people’s family values and moral principles.’ In addition, they warn of the possible negative consequences of Draft Law No. 9103 for the demographic situation in Ukraine and for protecting children’s rights.

The text of Draft Law No. 9103 is available on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The draft law establishes the institution of a registered partnership as a voluntary family union of two adults of the same or different sex. Draft Law No. 9103 does not mention LGBT people, but also states that a registered partnership is NOT a marriage.

The opponents, as mentioned above, of the initiative are manipulating the facts and misleading their constituents. Neither Bill No. 9103 nor the Ministry of Justice’s (yet to be published) Bill on Partnerships is intended to violate the “sacred institution of marriage.” Draft Law No. 9103, authored by MP Inna Sovsun, does not mention LGBT people at all, either in the text of the draft law or in the explanatory note to the draft law. Both bills aim to allow adult citizens of the country to enter into a formal union to obtain property and other rights. Moreover, the concept of partnership does not, by default, require the mandatory presence of an intimate party in such a relationship. This contrasts with marriage, which is based on the premise that the spouses will maintain a conjugal (i.e., intimate) relationship, at least at the beginning of the marriage.

Nobody interferes with the right of the State to decide what is a family and what is not. Therefore, the State, represented by its elected representatives, should not interfere in initiatives to legalize relationships that cannot be legalized in any other way.

 

• Local government in Ukraine – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_Ukraine
• European Council conclusions on Ukraine, 30 May 2022. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/05/31/european-council-conclusions-on-ukraine-30-may-2022/
• 18 MPs Suggest Rada Create Institute Of Registered Partnerships. https://ukranews.com/en/news/921043-18-mps-suggest-rada-create-institute-of-registered-partnerships
• Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine. https://www.coe.int/en/web/kyiv/strengthening-democracy-and-building-trust-at-local-level-in-ukraine
• Ukraine: council information | Local Government Association. https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/communities/refugees-and-asylum-seekers/ukraine-council-information
• The list of anti-Ukraine Republican lawmakers is quickly growing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/14/antiukraine-republicans/
• Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution on the Deteriorating … – OHCHR. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/05/human-rights-council-adopts-resolution-deteriorating-human-rights-situation