A modernized Parent Code

The party programme explicitly wants to move toward legislation that reflects how people actually live, with modern family law, which is precisely what a modernized parents code entails. The plan also requires good legal protection for rainbow families and states that families look different. That the regulations still are based on one woman and one man is exactly what the plan wants to leave behind.

• modern family lawdecisive»Vi vill fortsätta att gå mot en lagstiftning som utgår« (party programme ↗)“We want to continue moving toward legislation that reflects”
• protection for rainbow families»bland annat om att ge regnbågsfamiljer ett gott rättsligt skydd.« (party programme ↗)“among other things giving rainbow families good legal protection.”
• diverse family configurations»utrymme för att familjer ser olika ut.« (party programme ↗)“space for families to look different.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan establishes that sex, gender identity and sexual orientation shall not determine people's freedom and demands equal rights and strong protection against discrimination. A family code that still assumes that parents are a woman and a man makes a distinction between families, which the plan as a feminist party opposes. A modern comprehensive regulation of parenthood therefore lies in the plan's direction.

• equal rights regardless of orientationdecisive»Klass och kön ska inte få avgöra människors frihet, och inte heller faktorer som etnicitet« (party programme ↗)“Class and sex shall not be allowed to determine people's freedom, nor shall factors such as ethnicity”
• strong anti-discrimination protection»Lika rättigheter och skyldigheter för alla medborgare och starkt skydd mot« (party programme ↗)“Equal rights and duties for all citizens and strong protection against”
• feminist fundamental approach»Som feministiskt parti hävdar socialdemokratin att ett jämlikt samhälle inte går att uppnå« (party programme ↗)“As a feminist party the Social Democrats assert that an equal society cannot be achieved”
• equal family policy»I Sverige har viktiga jämställdhetsreformer som förskola och föräldraförsäkring möjliggjort kvinnors självständighet och frihet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In Sweden important equality reforms such as preschool and parental insurance have made women's independence and freedom possible.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wants family policy to become gender-neutral and rights to be strengthened for all types of families, and for society to be adapted to different family constellations. A new and modern parental regulation that abandons the assumption that parents are a woman and a man is precisely this commitment. The plan therefore supports the demand for the proposals to be prepared and presented.

• gender-neutral family legislationdecisive»anpassa familjepolitiken så att den blir könsneutral och stärka rättigheterna för stjärnfamiljer, det vill säga alla olika typer av familjer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“adapt family policy so that it becomes gender-neutral and strengthen rights for rainbow families, that is, all different types of families.”
• all family constellations»Samhället ska vara anpassat till olika familjekonstellationer.« (party programme ↗)“Society shall be adapted to different family constellations.”
• children's right to their parents»Alla barn ska ges rätt till alla sina föräldrar.« (party programme ↗)“All children shall be given the right to all their parents.”
• equal rights for families»Alla familjer ska ha lika rättigheter, oavsett hur de ser ut.« (party programme ↗)“All families shall have equal rights, regardless of how they look.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme binds the party to combat structures that discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and the election manifesto wants to strengthen the non-discrimination clause. A parental code that assumes that parents are a woman and a man disadvantages other family constellations, and the plan explicitly wants to adapt family policy to a modern society. Children's rights and perspectives should according to the plan be of greatest importance, which speaks for clear and modern regulation.

• bekämpa diskrimineringdecisive»Vi bekämpar alla strukturer, formella och informella, som förtrycker eller diskriminerar människor.« (party programme ↗)“We combat all structures, formal and informal, that oppress or discriminate against people.”
• modern familjepolitik»Därför vill vi reformera föräldraförsäkringen för en mer jämställd, enkel och tydlig föräldraförsäkring anpassad till vårt moderna samhälle och arbetsliv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we want to reform parental leave for a more equal, simple and clear parental leave adapted to our modern society and working life.”
• barnens rättigheter först»Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Of greatest importance is then children's rights and perspectives.”
• stärkt diskrimineringsförbud»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen, among other things, property rights, the non-discrimination clause, minority protection and minority languages' position”

The plan wants couples who have used surrogacy abroad to be able to be recognized as the child's parents in Sweden and that no laws shall discriminate against anyone based on sexual orientation or gender identity. That presupposes precisely a modern regulation of parenthood instead of today's rules built around one woman and one man. The position of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Swedish law strengthens the requirement for comprehensive and clear legislation.

• recognized parenthooddecisive»Vi vill möjliggöra altruistiskt värdmödraskap här i Sverige och underlätta för de par som i utlandet använder värdmödraskap att i här i Sverige erkännas som barnets föräldrar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to enable altruistic surrogacy here in Sweden and facilitate couples who abroad have used surrogacy to here in Sweden be recognized as the child's parents.”
• non-discriminatory family law»Alla ska ha samma rätt till respekt för sitt privat- och familjeliv. Inga lagar får missgynna personer med avseende på sexuell läggning, könsidentitet eller könsuttryck.« (party programme ↗)“All shall have the same right to respect for private and family life. No laws shall discriminate against persons based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.”
• children's rights»Genom att FN:s barnkonvention införlivats i svensk lag tydliggörs barns och ungas rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“By the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child being incorporated into Swedish law, children's and young people's rights are clarified.”
• LGBTQ reforms as freedom»Hbtqi-reformer handlar om frihet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“LGBTQ reforms are about freedom.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme links parenthood to the child's right to know their origins and to the natural course being pursued, with the family as a natural and fundamental unit. The counter-proposal's stated starting point is to break with parents being a woman and a man who have children through sexual intercourse and replace the rules with an entirely new regulation. The plan does admittedly give other family formations the same respect and support, but it does not bear the requirement for a redesigned parenthood act with that reasoning.

• the child's right to their originsdecisive»Varje barn har rätt till kännedom om sitt ursprung och att, så långt som möjligt, få bli omvårdad av sina föräldrar.« (party programme ↗)“Every child has the right to know their origins and, as far as possible, to be cared for by their parents.”
• natural course in parenthood»Vid hjälp mot barnlöshet bör det naturliga förloppet eftersträvas så långt möjligt.« (party programme ↗)“When assisted in the treatment of childlessness, the natural course should be pursued as far as possible.”
• the family as natural community»Familjen är den naturliga och grundläggande enheten i samhället och har rätt till samhällets och statens skydd.« (party programme ↗)“The family is the natural and fundamental unit in society and has the right to the protection of society and the state.”
• respect for different family formations»Familjen består i de flesta fall av mamma, pappa och barn men i vårt samhälle finns andra familjebildningar som ska ha samma respekt och stöd.« (party programme ↗)“The family consists in most cases of mum, dad and children but in our society there are other family formations that shall have the same respect and support.”

The plan establishes that family policy is not up-to-date in relation to how people today form families, and promises that all family law shall be gender-neutral. A bill that replaces a parent code that assumes parents are a woman and a man is precisely that modernization. The plan also wants to make altruistic surrogacy possible, which requires new regulation of parenthood.

• gender-neutral family lawdecisive»Se till att all familjelagstiftning är könsneutral« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that all family law is gender-neutral”
• outdated family policy»Samtidigt är familjepolitiken inte tidsenlig och utformad utifrån hur människor idag väljer att bilda familj och leva sina liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time, family policy is not up-to-date and designed based on how people today choose to form families and live their lives.”
• modern forms of parenthood»Verka för att altruistiskt surrogatmoderskap ska vara möjligt i Sverige« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for altruistic surrogacy to be possible in Sweden”
• family in different forms»Att familjen – i de olika former den kan ha« (party programme ↗)“That the family – in the different forms it can have”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan assumes that the nuclear family and the child's right to their biological parents are the starting point for family law, and advocates a cautious progress in small steps. The counter-proposal's requirement for a completely new and modern regulation of parenthood, justified by the fact that today's rules are based on a woman and a man, represents a shift in precisely that starting point. The plan gives no explicit commitment to a new family code.

• the nuclear family as starting pointdecisive»Det är Sverigedemokraternas övertygelse att kärnfamiljen är den samlevnadsform som« (party programme ↗)“It is the Sweden Democrats' conviction that the nuclear family is the form of cohabitation that”
• biological parenthood as norm»Det minst komplicerade, och därmed bästa för de flesta barn, är enligt vår bedömning« (party programme ↗)“The least complicated, and therefore best for most children, is according to our assessment”
• cautious progress»Sverigedemokraterna eftersträvar ett försiktigt framåtskridande som baseras på« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats seek a cautious progress that is based on”
• joint custody as norm»Att gemensam vårdnad utgör norm« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That joint custody constitutes the norm”