Top of page

Article Portugal: Change of Gender in the Civil Register for Certain Minors Vetoed by the President

(May 31, 2018) On May 9, 2018, the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, vetoed a decree that had been approved by the Portuguese Parliament allowing a change of gender to be entered in the civil register for minors aged 16 to 18. (Decreto No. 203/XIII; Marieta Cazarré, Portugal Veta Mudança de Gênero no Registro Civil Antes dos 18 Anos, AGÊNCIA BRASIL (May 10, 2018).) The law had been passed on April 13, 2018, by a divided Parliament with 109 votes in favor and 106 against. (Cazarré, supra.)

In a letter sent to the Assembly of the Republic, Rebelo de Sousa requested that the Assembly consider requiring that a medical report on the minor be reviewed before a decision on entering a change of gender in the civil register is made. (President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Veto Letter to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, May 9, 2018; Cazarré, supra.)

According to Agência Brasil, “the decree does not concern change of gender, which would imply surgeries and medical procedures, but rather about the right to self-determination of gender identity, gender expression and protection of the sexual characteristics of each person.” (Cazarré, supra (translated by author).) For lawyers, what is at stake is the possibility of changing the gender in the civil registry. (Id.)

About this Item

Title

  • Portugal: Change of Gender in the Civil Register for Certain Minors Vetoed by the President

Online Format

  • web page

Rights & Access

Publications of the Library of Congress are works of the United States Government as defined in the United States Code 17 U.S.C. §105 and therefore are not subject to copyright and are free to use and reuse.  The Library of Congress has no objection to the international use and reuse of Library U.S. Government works on loc.gov. These works are also available for worldwide use and reuse under CC0 1.0 Universal. 

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Credit Line: Law Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Soares, Eduardo. Portugal: Change of Gender in the Civil Register for Certain Minors Vetoed by the President. 2018. Web Page. https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2018-05-31/portugal-change-of-gender-in-the-civil-register-for-certain-minors-vetoed-by-the-president/.

APA citation style:

Soares, E. (2018) Portugal: Change of Gender in the Civil Register for Certain Minors Vetoed by the President. [Web Page] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2018-05-31/portugal-change-of-gender-in-the-civil-register-for-certain-minors-vetoed-by-the-president/.

MLA citation style:

Soares, Eduardo. Portugal: Change of Gender in the Civil Register for Certain Minors Vetoed by the President. 2018. Web Page. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2018-05-31/portugal-change-of-gender-in-the-civil-register-for-certain-minors-vetoed-by-the-president/>.