Admissibility of transcription of birth certificate of a samesex parents’ child – remarks within the context of the most recent case-law of the Supreme Administrative Court

This paper is an attempt to critically analyze the jurisprudence of Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court on transcription of a foreign birth certificate of a child of same-sex parents and it aims to present a decisive scientific position on this major issue. The subject being discussed, requires the adoption of a systemic and functional perspective during the scrupulous exegesis of the legal text and a particular consideration should be given to the inclusion of the constitutional norms in the process of examining the admissibility of this type of transcription. Therefore, this article comprises dogmatic references to the constitutional concept of family, parenthood and the scope of legal protection guaranteed by the relevant normative contents (including those firmly axiologised), as well as a commentary on selected provisions from a sub-constitutional level. A comprehensive analysis of the issue of transcription of the present category of birth certificates, taking into account the various normative levels, has led to the conclusion that the Supreme Administrative Courts’ thesis – which is boiled down to the recognition that there is a basic principle (that underpin the operation of polish legal system) which absolutely precludes transcription of a foreign birth certificate where same-sex people are entered as childs’ parents – does not deserve approval. Contrary to the presented view of jurisprudence, such a ban – for various reasons mentioned in the text – cannot be derived from the Polish law system.