Opposition To The Repeal
The repeal of the article was opposed by various groups, sparking a significant amount of controversy.
The far-right Greater Romania Party (PRM), which was the largest opposition bloc in both chambers of parliament, opposed the modification of the Penal Code, arguing that the article was already too lenient and that it was damaging national pride. The party's Senator Aron Belascu stated that this "so-called harmonisation with European legislation was a fatal error" while PRM parliamentarian Dumitru Balaiet argued that Romanians are an Eastern Orthodox people and could not accept homosexuality.
PNŢ-CD) strongly opposed the repealing of the article. Its leader, Comeliu Coposu, argued that its Christian stance led it "to combat every deviation from the law of nature and from the moral principles of a future balanced society", while deputy Emil Popescu said that "incest was preferable to homosexuality since at least the former preserved the chance of procreation".
Far right-wing organisations, such as Noua Dreaptă, protested publicly at its abrogation.
Additionally, most religious organisations (including the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Romania) were against the law's repeal. In particular, Patriarch Teoctist of the Orthodox Church sent a letter to the parliament expressing his "grief and concern" at the intention to repeal the article, which sanctioned what he termed as "practices against nature".
Read more about this topic: Article 200
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