Ecuador

In Ecuador, LGBTQ+ parents face barriers to registering their children. Until 2018, both gay and lesbian couples were unable to register their children with both parents’ surnames. Children born to lesbian couples were able to be registered after a 2018 court case, where the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of respecting and guaranteeing the parentage of the children of same-sex couples. However, a 2024 joint NGO report to the CRC stated that the Ecuadorian Civil Registry does not comply with the ruling and limits registration to children conceived by lesbian couples (excluding gay men) through assisted reproductive technologies certified by a healthcare professional. Mixed nationality lesbian couples have continued to face difficulty registering their children under both parents’ names if the child was born abroad. Adoption is also limited to heterosexual couples.