A child rights activist in India has spoken out against legalising same-sex marriage, arguing that it would deprive children of at least one parent and violate their rights. Kumar V Jahgirdar, founder and president of the Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting, said that ‘it is natural for any child to have a natural father and mother’ and that a same-sex marriage would create a ‘fatherless or motherless society’.
He warned that children raised by same-sex couples may experience psychological problems and be more likely to turn to drugs or crime. Jahgirdar also argued that legalising same-sex marriage would violate Indian social and cultural values and be in violation of basic human rights.
He added that such marriages would also complicate the Domestic Violence Act, which is designed to protect women against men.
Instead, Jahgirdar said that custody and shared parenting rules would need to be established for situations where parents separate or divorce. He concluded by calling on the Indian Supreme Court to take the issue seriously and not ‘hamper child fundamental rights.’
This debate comes as India’s LGBT+ community calls for the legalisation of same-sex marriage, which is currently prohibited under Indian law.
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