Child benefit to be extended to male couples in Brussels

Child benefit to be extended to male couples in Brussels
Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Surrogacy-UK

A parliamentary committee for the Brussels Region has approved the modification to a law that would see same-sex couples, where both identity as male, benefit from the same child allowances that are paid to mothers in the region.

In 2019, the Brussels Parliament passed legislation that would see mothers granted an allowance at the birth of their child. However, the law did not apply to male same-sex couples.

To that end, Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI), the Regional Minister in charge of Child Welfare, proposed a text to the Brussels Parliament.

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In his view, as he told La Dernière Heure, the current legislation is discriminatory and "is denying the fact that two dads can also start a family."

The parliamentary committee agreed with his view and approved the ordinance with the text soon to be passed by the region's MPs.

Clerfayt tweeted after the decision. "I am rejoiced that my proposal was approved by the parliamentary committee! It was time to finish with all these years of discrimination."


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