Lawmakers in Slovakia have approved amendments to their country’s constitution that will only recognize two genders — male and female — and prohibit same-sex couples from adopting children.

Rado Sloboda, director of Amnesty International Slovakia, in a statement described the Sept. 26 vote as “devastating news.”

“Instead of taking concrete steps to protect the rights of LGBTI people, children, and women, the Slovakian Parliament voted to pass these amendments, which put the constitution in direct contradiction with international law,” said Sloboda. “Today is another dark day for Slovakia, which is already facing a series of cascading attacks on human rights and the rule of law.” 

Iniciatíva Inakosť, a Slovak LGBTQ and intersex rights group, described the vote as “one of the most dangerous decisions the Slovak Parliament has ever made.”

“This amendment directly endangers our EU membership, bringing us even closer to authoritarian Russia,” said the group on its Facebook page. “It gives the government a powerful tool to justify all decisions and policies that would be in violation of human rights and our international obligations.”

Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an attempted assassination in May 2024, praised the vote.

Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association.