Gay adoption next

Gay adoption next

The NSW Government has promised a parliamentary inquiry into legalising same-sex adoption after making changes to speed up the approval process for heterosexuals.

The issue of same-sex adoption was not included in the amendments, however, it was agreed the issue would be referred to the Law and Justice Committee, a spokesman for Community Services Minister Linda Burney said. We look forward to the committee’s findings and when the report is due we’ll look at the issue.

The inquiry will hold hearings early in 2009 to coincide with a separate ongoing inquiry into altruistic surrogacy.

This comes more than 10 years after the NSW Law Reform Commission recommended the current ban against same-sex couples be dropped, and more than two years since another review by the Department of Community Services was handed to the Government.

Attempts by Sydney Star Observer to obtain the 2006 DOCS report through freedom of information laws were unsuccessful as it contained recommendations. It is still not confirmed that the report recommended legalising same-sex adoption.

Stranger adoptions are uncommon due to the low number of Australian children available -” around 20 per year. Countries allowing overseas adoptions generally do not use same-sex couples.

Most cases where same-sex adoption would apply are in existing foster arrangements with a gay couple.

The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby strongly supported the inquiry into the last piece of NSW law that still discriminates against same-sex couples.

NSW is in the ludicrous position of allowing individual lesbians and gay men to be assessed for adoption eligibility, but not same-sex couples. This discrimination hurts children by denying legal and social recognition to lesbian and gay parents, Lobby spokesman Peter Johnson said.

Adoption reform is essential for long-term foster carers, some step-parents and co-parents. Adoption would give children the economic and emotional stability which comes with the recognition of their families.

This year co-mothers were given the right to legally adopt the biological children of their partner if they participated in the artificial conception process. But co-fathers were not included.

The inquiry into altruistic surrogacy laws heard in October gay men have
been seeking commercial surrogacy options in the US due to a lack of parenting options in Australia. That inquiry is not expected to report until the second half of 2009. Liberal powerbroker David Clarke is on both inquiries.

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8 responses to “Gay adoption next”

  1. I am a young bi-sexual teenager, and i beleive strongly that same-sex couples should have just as equal right… i was brought up in a single parent home and this has not effected me at all… it used to be frowned upon to be a single parent and that was disgusting the way people looked down upon my mother when she was raising me… was it my fault my father was not there??? no it was no-ones fault we were abandoned…
    Yet people now actually support and the government supports single parents… all the negativity people hold towards same-sex couple is so discriminatory… and all i can say is if children are brought up in a loving caring family with people who support them… it doesn’t matter whether the parents are same sex or not…
    WE NEED TO WAKE UP SOCIETY… theres such a push by government to be anti-discriminatory, but they are still doing it… TO THE GOVERNMENT WAKE UP, TREAT EVERYONE EQUAL!!!

  2. When it comes to it, most gay men may never have the opportunity to access IVF/Surrogacy, as lesbian women are able, that is not to say that it isn’t hard enough for lesbians to have children.

    I’m only 22 and yet for as long back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a father. It pains me to think that some people would rather have children bounced from foster home to foster home, rather than to live with a couple who love them, simply because they are both the same sex.

    I agree whole-heartedly that children have the right to a mother and a father. But what if their parents don’t want them? What if their parents are abusive. The homosexual community as a whole poses no threat to the well-being of children. If I were straight, and couldn’t raise my child, I know that I’d prefer them to be in a safe and loving home. Period. Sexuality is not an issue.

    This is a huge step towards equality, towards compassion, towards what is right. Love is love, regardless of where it comes from.

  3. hi these are pairs of males or pair s od females how can they be called a couple in the uk gays now have more right s than the grandparents this as happened many times girls need a mum and boys a dad but it seems the labour govt dont believe in natuaral parents

  4. David Clarke is a well known homo-hater … watch him carefully as he will do everything that he can to discriminate against our LBGTQI communities.

  5. Gay and lesbian people pay their taxes and should be given equal treatment in all laws. Our (gays) taxes pay for the education of children, health care of children, kindergartens, children’s television programs and many other child related services. As well as being just, recognition of gay couples as adopting parents would be a way for society to give many more children two parents.

  6. Money for Mardi Gras and now same-sex adoption…Nathan Rees seems willing to move where others would not.