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Czech Gays and Lesbians in Registered Partnerships Can Now Adopt

The Czech Constitutional Court has overturned a law that banned gays and lesbians living in a registered partnership from adopting children.
Gay Couple
BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 12: (EDITOR'S NOTE: In this photo illustration)Two men climb up stairs close to each other hand in hand on August 12, 2014. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)Thomas Trutschel / Photothek via Getty Images

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Constitutional Court has overturned a law which banned individual gays and lesbians living in a registered partnership from adopting children.

Gay Couple
BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 12: (EDITOR'S NOTE: In this photo illustration)Two men climb up stairs close to each other hand in hand on August 12, 2014. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)Thomas Trutschel / Photothek via Getty Images

In its ruling on Tuesday, the country's highest legal authority said that such a ban is discriminatory because individual gays and lesbians who don't live in the official partnership were allowed to do so.

However, the ruling still does not allow lesbian and gay pairs to adopt children as a couple.

In 2006, Parliament approved a law allowing same-sex partners to live in an officially registered partnership and have rights to inheritance and health care similar to those enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. The law, however, does not allow same-sex partners to marry.

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