Czech authorities opt out of Istanbul Convention over “gender ideology”
The government withdrew its consent to ratify the document, calling its provisions destructive to the traditional understanding of sex and family.
The government of the Czech Republic, led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, has decided to officially terminate the process of ratifying the Istanbul Convention. In doing so, the cabinet revoked the approval granted by the previous government and brought to an end a debate that had lasted for nearly a decade, The European Conservative reports.
According to the prime minister, the country does not intend to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe not only because it is redundant but also because the Convention "stems from harmful identity politics pitting men against women" and would introduce gender ideology into national legislation.
Czech authorities pointed to what they described as the serious danger of introducing gender concepts into national legislation. The conservative government believes that the document artificially pits men against women and undermines the foundations of traditional society.
As former Croatian Member of the European Parliament Ladislav Ilčić stated, the Istanbul Convention separates the concept of gender from biological sex, which, in his view, hinders genuine protection of women and places ideological dogmas above objective facts. Such attempts to replace reality with ideology are meeting growing resistance in countries committed to Christian and traditional values.
Alongside rejecting ratification, the Czech Republic adopted a special resolution guaranteeing protection for all victims of domestic violence without altering the legal definition of marriage. The document emphasizes that the state will ensure citizens’ safety while preserving traditional legal norms and preventing the legalization of multiple “gender identities.”
As the UOJ previously reported, the President of Poland has spoken out against creating alternatives to traditional marriage.
