Ecuador implements adoption reform excluding LGBTQ+ individuals

Ecuador has implemented a new adoption law, the Reform Law of Various Legal Bodies for the Streamlining of Adoption, which has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations. While the legislation aims to reduce delays in the adoption process and shorten the time children spend in institutional care, critics argue it embeds systemic discrimination.

The law mandates that only different-sex couples may adopt and explicitly requires single applicants to be heterosexual. The Ecuadorian LGBT Federation has criticized these requirements, stating that heterosexuality is not an indicator of parental fitness and questioning how authorities will verify the sexual orientation of single applicants without infringing on privacy.

Additionally, the reform includes provisions that could impact families of transgender children. The law states that promoting medical, surgical, or pharmaceutical procedures intended to “modify the biological sex” of a child can be grounds for the loss of parental rights. Human Rights Watch has warned that the term “promoting” is vague and could lead to the loss of custody for parents providing medically recommended gender-affirming care.