The Constitutional Court of Slovenia has legalized same-sex marriage and adoption by homosexual couples. The highest Slovenian authority as far as the constitution is concerned deemed on Friday that the distinction between heterosexual and homosexual couples resulted in discrimination, which is incompatible with the Slovenian Constitution.

The Slovenian Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities indicated that this was done in response to the recent US Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and brought into question Obergefell v Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in the US in 2015. Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Luka Mesec welcomed this decision, claiming that the ministry is already at work to codify the end of “this unconstitutionality” into law.

One point emphasized by the Constitutional Court, in a press release, was that it was not introducing the right to adoption or negatively affecting the importance and the position of the traditional and non-biological family. According to its president, the court merely overturned a regulation which “prevented [same-sex couples] from [applying for adoption]”. He moved on to highlight the detrimental nature of this regulation to the best interests of the child, which is crucial at all times during adoption procedures.