Adoption by same-sex couples in Ecuador: lack of regulation and the international experience
| Autor | Roberto Torres |
| Cargo | Abogado de los Tribunales y Juzgados de la República del Ecuador |
| Páginas | 45-70 |
Adopción por parejas del mismo sexo en Ecuador: falta de
regulación y la experiencia internacional
Adoption by same-sex couples in Ecuador: lack of
regulation and the international experience
Roberto Javier Torres Novillo
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INFORMACIÓN DEL
ARTÍCULO
Fecha de recepción: 14 de diciembre
de 2021.
Fecha de aceptación: 02 de mayo de
2022.
1 Abogado de los Tribunales y Juzgados
de la República del Ecuador.
E-mail:
rtorresn98@gmail.com
Código ORCID:
0009-0005-5772-7512
CITACIÓN: Torres Novillo, R.J.
(2022). Adopción por parejas del
mismo sexo en Ecuador: falta de
regulación y la experiencia
internacional. Juees, 3, 45–70.
Resumen
Durante el debate de la Asamblea Constituyente de 2008 de Ecuador, las organizaciones
LGBTI+ realizaron campañas para la inclusión del derecho de uniones civiles de las
personas del mismo sexo, así consiguieron se encuentren inmersas en el artículo 68 de la
Constitución, a pesar de las protestas en contra de los movimientos religiosos. En la
Constitución vigente la diferencia sustancial entre las parejas de diferente sexo, uniones
civiles o matrimonios, y las parejas de mismo sexo se funda en la prohibición que tienen
estas últimas para adoptar. En efecto, por el hecho que existía una prohibición literal a los
matrimonios civiles del mismo sexo, en el año 2019 la Corte Constitucional de Ecuador
admite los matrimonios civiles por personas del mismo sexo, y su posibilidad de
registrarse ante la entidad competente. Este trabajo analiza los efectos posteriores a la
sentencia de la Corte Constitucional de 2019 que determinó la inconstitucionalidad de
una norma que establecía que el matrimonio solo podía otorgarse por la unión de un
hombre y una mujer. La aprobación del matrimonio igualitario es el inicio para la
inclusión de los diferentes beneficios de la estructura “original” de la familia, tales como
procrear y criar. El derecho a la familia se reconoce en la Constitución pero siempre se
negó acceso a quienes no encajaban en esa estructura “original”. Con la aprobación del
matrimonio igualitario, se entendería que se reconoce y acepta a los diferentes tipos de
familia, y consecuentemente, el derecho que tienen las familias LGBTI+ de adoptar.
Palabras Clave:
Adopción, adopción internacional, familia, matrimonio, matrimonio igualitario,
homosexual, homo parental, paternidad del mismo sexo, adopción de parejas del mismo
sexo.
Abstract
During the debate on the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008, LGBTI+ organizations
campaigned for the inclusion of same-sex civil unions, which were eventually included in the
article 68 of the Constitution, despite protests from religious movements. In this new
Constitution, the substantial difference between same-sex unions and those of the opposite sex
is that same-sex parent family adoptions are not allowed, while adoption rights are the same
for civil unions as for civil marriages. Since there was a literal prohibition for same-sex
couples to access civil marriage in Ecuador’s legal system, in 2019, the Constitutional Court
admitted civil marriages for same-sex couples and the possibility to register them before the
competent authority. Therefore, this research essay will analyze the effects arising from the
ruling of the Constitutional Court in 2019 that declared the unconstitutionality of the legal
norm that established that marriage could be granted only to the union of one man and one
woman. The approval of equal marriage is the beginning of inclusion of the different benefits
of the "original'' family structure, such as procreate and raise. The right to a family is
recognized in the Constitution, but it was always denied to those who did not fit into the
original family structure. With the approval of same-sex marriage, which means the
acceptance of different types of family, it also leads to thinking that it is approved and allowed
the right to adopt to those LGBTI+ families.
Keywords:
Adoption, international adoption, family, marriage, equal marriage, homosexual, homo
parental, same-sex parenthood, same-sex parent family adoption.
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JUEES No. 3, Julio 2022, pp. 45-70
© Universidad Espíritu Santo - UEES
Introduction
“Family is a construct of elements
that converge in a human-affective
nucleus which varies according to a
space-time; and constitutes the basic
pillar of organized human relations”.2
Certainly, family as an institution
represents an essential pillar for
humanity. This could be better
understood by following Aristotle's
thought, which portrays human beings as
social and political individuals whose
primary needs are living in organized
communities where the essential and
most basic order for human life is
preserved.3 Therefore, the right to start a
family and even more, the right to grow
up in a proper family environment
–which would provide the most basic
needs for the development of minors,
especially for unparented ones– seems to
be meaningful issues to take into
consideration.
Jurists like Planiol and Ripert state
that a family is a group of people whose
interrelationship is linked by marriage,
filiation, or adoption.4 Under the thought,
the Ecuadorian Constitution recognizes
family in its various types and states it as
the fundamental nucleus of our society.5
Thus, family protection must be ensured,
guaranteeing the conditions that fully
favor the achievement of its goals.
Families will be constituted by legal or de
facto ties and their members shall enjoy
equal rights and opportunities. In relation
to legal ties, they are the ones created by
marriage, filiation, and adoption.6
In that sense, adoption can also play
an important role when starting a family.
This has legal standing and is regulated
both by international organizations and
treaties, as well as by Ecuadorian
legislation. It is important to mention that
adoption will proceed as long as it fulfills
its main purpose, which is to ensure and
watch over the best interests of the child
at all times. For that reason, the
Ecuadorian Constitution establishes the
right to have a family and to enjoy family
and community coexistence for all
children and teenagers.7 Moreover, the
same legal text indicates that in order to
protect the rights of all family members,
daughters and sons will have the same
rights without considering filiation or
adoption records. However, adoption in
Ecuador is restricted as, only
different-sex couples can adopt, meaning
that same-sex couples are excluded from
this right.
Notwithstanding, the concept of
family cannot be understood as an
isolated manner, but rather following the
pluralism principle: “[family is a]
dynamic and open nucleus, an
indeterminate legal concept, [...] its basis
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6 LARREA HOLGUÍN, Juan. Manual Elemental de Derecho
Civil del Ecuador: Derecho de Familia. Quito: Corporación
de Estudios y Publicaciones, 2008.
7 Constitución de la República del Ecuador (Registro Oficial
449 del 20 de octubre de 2008). Artículo 45.
2 ORDEÑA, Tatiana, BARAHONA, Alexander. El derecho de
familia en el nuevo paradigma constitucional. Quito: Cevallos
Editora Jurídica, 2016, p. 18. ISBN: 9789978392782.
3 MAZZOLENI, Rocío. El lenguaje, elemento de lazo social e
identidad, en Tatarendy, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2013, p. 185-191.
4 PLANIOL, Marcel, RIPERT, Georges. Derecho Civil.
México: Harla, Tomo 8, 1997.
5 Constitución de la República del Ecuador (Registro Oficial
449 del 20 de octubre del 2008), Artículo 67.
JUEES No. 3, Julio 2022, pp. 45-70
© Universidad Espíritu Santo - UEES
46
Roberto Javier Torres Novillo
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