Dutch constitution amended to fix disability and LGBT rights in law

Photo: DutchNews.nl

Dutch senators on Tuesday voted in favor of an explicit constitutional ban on discrimination on the basis of disability or sexual orientation, 12 years after the change was first discussed.

Tuesday was the second Senate vote on the issue, paving the way for the constitution to be formally amended.

Changes to the Dutch constitution require voting in two separate periods in the Cabinet and Senate, with a two-thirds majority required for the second vote. Tuesday’s vote was 56 to 15, with three far-right parties and the fundamentalist Christian SGP voting against.

Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution now prohibits discrimination on the basis of religious or personal beliefs, political affiliation, race, sex and “all other grounds”.

But for years, campaign groups and some political parties have pushed Congress to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation or disability.

“This can be called a historic day,” D66 MP Alexander Hammelberg, one of the signatories of the motion, said in a response.

consciousness

Illya Soffer, director of disability campaign group Ieder(in), told news website NU.nl. Ieder(in) said the changes “give governments a special mandate to continually improve and strengthen the position of persons with disabilities, not only in law but in practice.”

In addition, Soffer said the change will raise awareness of the issue, which is necessary to keep society accessible for everyone.

The change will ensure rights are not eroded in the future, said Philip Tijsma of the LGBTI+ Rights Campaign Group. RTL News.

“LGBTI people’s rights, such as the right to marry and adopt, can no longer be changed,” he said. “We can see the winds turning and hatred growing in other countries.”