Gillard ‘out of step’ with Wong
Marriage equality advocates have wasted no time calling the Gillard Government’s opposition to same-sex marriage “out of step” after news Finance Minister Penny Wong and her female partner are expecting a baby.
Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Peter Furness congratulated the couple, however, said the soon-to-be parents are still denied the right to marry.
“We congratulate Penny Wong and Sophie Allouache on their happy news and we wish them well,” Furness said.
“It’s pleasing state and federal law will recognise them both as parents, but this just highlights how out-of-step the same-sex marriage ban has become by denying their child the option of having married parents.
“Marriage can benefit children by providing them with a greater sense of security and recognition, and these benefits should be available for all Australian children including those raised by same-sex couples.”
Wong and Allouache are expecting the birth of their baby in December, the same month as the ALP National Conference where the issue of same-sex marriage is set to be hotly debated.
The baby was conceived via IVF with sperm from a known donor.
Wong last year declared her support for marriage equality at the South Australian Labor Party conference.
Today Treasurer Wayne Swan and Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop offered their congratulations.
The Rainbow Families Council if Victoria have also added their congratulations to the expectant couple.
“Rainbow Families Council is delighted to hear the news that Senator Wong and her partner Sophie are expecting their first child,” Rainbow Families Council spokeswoman Eilis Hughes told the Star Observer.
“We wish them well as they join the many rainbow families across Australia who are enjoying all that parenthood brings.”
NSW Christian Democrats leader the Reverend Fred Nile today accused Wong trying to “make a statement” with the announcement.
“She needn’t have made it public – it just promotes their lesbian lifestyle and trying to make it natural where it’s unnatural,” Nile said.
I am sure most of us have seen porn on the internet, but few could say I used Fred Vile’s password and Login, and were found to of had over 200,000 hits of hard porn at taxpayers’ expense!
Now I am not sure if some politicians, in particular the self-righteous types like Vile and his followers, masturbate at taxpayers’ expense while lecturing others on having babies, but what I can say for sure, is in my whole life of using the internet, I have not trolled through porn site after porn site, then sought to lecture others on how to live their life.
I think as far as Vile and his followers is concerned, it is a case of “do as I say, not as I do!”.
Fred Nile has influence over the uniting church
The sociological research suggests that if children of same-sex parents experience psychological instability or disturbance, this is unlikely to be because they have two mothers or two fathers. It is much more likely to occur because of discrimination coming from the children’s peers, school staff or others in the general community. Same-sex parenting doesn’t harm anyone but bigotry and discrimination certainly does.
Congratulations to Ms Wong and partner – two mums, two dads, a mum & a dad, a single parent or whatever the parental mix – a child will begin its life in loving arms – what more could any child ask for.
If only this was the case for so many abandoned children throughout the world.
The truth is there are more Same-Sex couples that have had children, then make up all of the Christian Lobby and Fred Vile followers combined. Thousands and thousands of Same-Sex couples have had children in Australia. Millions around the world have done so, and will continue long after we have all departed.
The majority of Christians in Australia support equality and Same-Sex Marriage. We are told over and over the majority of Australians are Christian, and poll after poll shows the majority of people in Australia support the right for us to live as freely as the next person.
My local Anglican Bishop travels Australia giving talks on GLBTI Rights. It was an Anglican Priest who argued at the Rudd 20/20 Summit for Same-Sex Marriage and the report showed 99% of people supported this. There are some Catholic Priest who support us, Baptist Ministers, Anglican Priest and Bishops, Uniting Church Ministers, Nuns, and more.
So do we lose sleep over a few fundamentalist haters writing into here? No. In fact even in New York there were over 700 Church leaders who argued to support Same-Sex Marriage.
And finally these Christian Fundamentalist haters would have you think they own your religion. They do not. They own nothing about you. Even Penny Wong attends the Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide. There are GLBTI people who are of many different faiths and non faiths. You own your belief!
Hundreds of thousands of people attend Mardi Gras. Over a hundred thousand people attend Midsummer. And there are people who do not go to these great events who are in the GLBTI community also. So the Christian Lobby could not fill a bus stop. The Fed Vile bloke would not be in parliament without preferences as simply not enough people voted for him.
Australians are overwhelmingly rejecting these fundamentalist haters who write into here. Shortly they will be confined to study, in the same way we study the White Australia Policy. The winds of change are blowing across Australia. Equality is happening.
When a pair of straight teenagers root one another and make a baby, Nile might frown at the financial burden on society, but he sees another soul on its way. When a pair of consenting adults of the same gender, who love one another and commit to one another and want to extend that love towards a child … and they find a way to do it on their own terms … Nile and his hate brigade make the news! Congratulations to these two women … that is the only thing that needs to be said!
It is time that religious fascism was declared a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Society as part of the revisions to the DSM!
I’m sorry but if gillard allows gay marriage in Australia we are then officially fuckedd..
I should’ve voted for liberal
Do we really have to have all this christian bullshit on this site, there is enough media outlets where their views can be published. This is a gay media site I can’t stand coming here and reading more homophobia and absolute ignorance than I get on a mainstream site like the SMH…Mainstream sites would vet most of this because it downright offence to the mojority of Australians who support equality and anti discrimmination.
@ Glenn Peters – What a rediculous argument. I have not looked for any studies on Google to see who is right or wrong – my gut feel is if the child is loved and nurtured, then it will be all right. To raise the then argument of population control, well that just highlights three things. (1) You feel you are losing the argument, (2) you are grasping a straws for a counter and (3) you don’t have the intelligence to keep on topic. Would you extend your IVF insemination rant to single mothers, male and female couples, immigrants of different backgrounds and religions and my list could go on. Maybe we should also introduce a China style ‘One Child Policy’ just to make sure.
This article is about a couple in a stable relationship who have used a legal method, with knowing participants to produce a bundle of joy that will have a profound impact on them and the rest of their family. The fact it was announced should not be surprising as Penny is a MP. I actually chastise the original reporter for adding the blurb from Fred Nile – it wasn’t necessary.
Are they really of to New York to get married, Dave? That’ll put a lot of (much-needed) pressure on Gillard.
And to Patrick and the others who trot out the usual illogical arguments, I note the same emphasis on Wong’s ‘rights’ and the absence of references to the best interests of the children. This is all about people wanting a child, like a kid wants a Barbie doll. There’s too many humans on the earth as it is, and IVF insemination of lesbians who want kids really doesn’t help, does it. Wong has no inherent rights to a child, get over it, people!
To the Ed, there is no longitudinal research supporting this whatsoever. For the effects of same-sex parenting we would require at least one generation, preferably two or three. I am fully aware of the extant research, not all of which is available via Google, which has become the lazy person’s way of conducting ‘research’, but thanks for playing, anyway.
What kind of a half witted statement is this: “It’s pleasing state and federal law will recognise them both as parents, but this just highlights how out-of-step the same-sex marriage ban has become by denying their child the option of having married parents.” Since when does the child have the option on anything?
Similarly, why does this bloke think it’s fine to suddenly appeal to the child’s right to have married parents? Is he suggesting that the child’s right to have married parents somehow trumps its right to have a mother and a father?
Actually Patrick, there is no ‘scientific consensus’ on homosexual parenting. It is not something that can be scientifically tested and has nothing to do with science. Yes, there are some ‘academic’ sociological studies where data has been manipulated to fit certain hypotheses, but that is not ‘scientific’.
Does anyone know of any heterosexual politician who has thought it necessary to nationally announce they are expecting a child?
Penny Wong and Sophie Allouache are also now off to be married in New York! Congratulations!
If they are gay or not doesnt matter, they can still be great parents, how many “normal” families are there that the parents should never have been allowed to have children. Anyone that thinks gays shouldnt be allwed to raise children is a bigoted idiot, i am not gay but if one of my children were i would want them to have every right i had in life, not be discriminated against because of who they falll in love with.
So Fred Vile is the bloke Barry O’Feral preferenced and got into power, and this is a video of his political party that the NSW Liberal Party supported. Why else would they preference Fred Nile unless they suppported him?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KedTNaSnDA8
Fred Nile is correct. It is unnatural and selfish to bring a child into the world under these circumstances. The ‘equality’ religion is bulldozing a child’s right to start his/her life with his/her mother AND father. I hate Gillard but agree with her on marriage.
Actually Glenn, there is a scientific consensus that two same gendered partners are just as capable parents as heterosexual partners, and their parenting arrangement does not harm their children. Numerous children, now adults, who developed into perfectly happy and well adjusted people, and who had two mothers or fathers. Considering that social workers who work with adoptive parents, and considering we all agree that the best interests of the child must come first, when a social worker approves a gay parenting arrangement as the best option of the child, do you support denying the child the best parenting arrangement despite what the evidence and the experts say? It may be that gay parents are most suitable to adopt a child, even among heterosexual candidates. The reality is that gay couples will have children and no law can stop this. However, despite there being no scientific or sociological reason to do so, you would prefer to deny that family the legal protections available to other families, and actually force a child to be raised in a more legally unstable relationship. Capacity to be a parent is not dependent on gender, and it has never been dependent on gender roles- the evidence shows it is based on a parent’s capacity to provide love, support, care and guidance for their child.
Fuck off Fred!
So Fred Vile downloading a terabyte of gay porn for “research” is not making a statement? It is all very one sided with Mr Vile. I would certainly not trust him with my nieces and nephews!
in other words, this is not Wong’s baby!
[…] is due to give birth in December …Penny Wong's partner pregnant via IVFSky News AustraliaGillard 'out of step' with WongSydney Star ObserverWong pregnancy sparks gay marriage debateSydney Morning HeraldABC […]
Shut up Fred. You’re an ignorant fool and no-ones cares what you think.
London is burning. Stock markets all around the world are crashing.
Why does the opinion of Fred Nile make the news?
This issue of course is not about the best interests of this soon-to-be-child. It is about Ms Wong’s ‘right’ to have a child, no matter that it be conceived by sperm donation and be brought up by two mothers. Just because something is possible does not mean it is right. Where is the evidence that deliberately rearing a child with two mothers or two fathers will be in the child’s best interests in the long run? There is none. Her sexuality does not interest me, it’s about the balance a child gets from different sex parents. So continue on with your social experiment Ms Wong…
Ed: Glenn, we suggest you make use of Google and look at the multiple studies that clearly point out that having two mothers or two fathers makes no difference to a child. There are plenty of them.
Reverend Nile’s comments were not only unnecessary, but distasteful. Drama on what should be a joyous event; regardless of gender or sexual preference is really… Just a ploy to get a reaction. Sometimes people should really just keep their opinons to themselves
Fred nile.. go back to prehistoric age you dinosaur!
As usual Fred Nile has to troll what should be a universally happy moment for Penny and her partner.
Meow.
Wng has nothing to do with the baby. It has a father, albeit one who is weak and willing to donate sperm but not raise the baby. Sounds like a case for the CSA.