Article 8 – Right to respect for private and family life
1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 12 has not been as widely used as Article 8 in arguments for rights regarding family and relationships, but it has played in a role in counter-arguments to sham marriage accusations and it is playing a growing role in challenges to laws regarding same-sex unions.[2]