In Taiwan, a family court allowed a married gay man to legally adopt his husband’s non-biological child.
Marking the first time a same-sex couple has been permitted to adopt a child that neither have biological relation to in Taiwan, the case is considered historic, with the court approving an appeal allowing a same-sex partner to adopt the child adopted by his husband prior to their marriage.
Wang Chen-wei (王振圍) and Chen Chun-ju (陳俊儒), the child’s adopted parents, were told by the court that the decision is in the best interest of their child.
It is worth stressing that the ruling does not offer a general precedent for other gay couples seeking a similar outcome; instead, it was made specific to this case, as the law still bans such adoption.
Incidentally, same-sex marriage has been legal in the country since 2019.
The Act for Implementation of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, the legislation legalizing marriage equality in Taiwan, does not provide clarity on same-sex adoption of children who are not related to either parent by blood. Instead, it only mentions “the genetic child of the other party”.
