Barring Married Same-Sex Couples from Joint Adoption: Comparative Perspectives and the Case of Taiwan

禁止同性婚姻配偶共同收養：以比較法為中心分析臺灣法制

臺灣雖然是亞洲第一個承認同性婚姻的國家，但其禁止同性婚姻配偶共同收養小孩。本文從比較法的觀點檢視前開限制，得出以下兩個觀察：首先，在所有承認同性婚姻的國家之中，臺灣是限制共同收養中僅有的兩個國家。本文認為此反常的事實將造成此政策是否合適的質疑。再者，全球關於同性婚姻的司法論證，皆進一步質疑前開限制的正當性。前開兩個觀察皆顯示了臺灣對於共同收養的限制有違憲的疑慮。

Taiwan is the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, but it forbids married same-sex couples from jointly adopting children. This article examines this restriction through the lens of comparative law, which brings into focus two main insights. First, we see that, out of all countries that have legalized same-sex marriage, Taiwan is one of only two that bar married same-sex couples from joint adoption. As this article will explain, the fact that Taiwan’s policy is so anomalous should spur skepticism of the policy’s appropriateness. Second, judicial opinions from around the world contain persuasive reasoning that further calls into question Taiwan’s treatment of married same-sex couples. This article explains that these findings, taken together, cast enormous doubt on the constitutionality of Taiwan’s exclusionary adoption policy.