Qld surrogacy outrage
Queensland gay rights activists are outraged the state’s Opposition has taken a preemptive step to ban same-sex couples from proposed new altruistic surrogacy laws.
Liberal National Party deputy leader Lawrence Springborg moved a rival Private Member’s Bill last week ahead of the Bligh Government’s surrogacy laws which were still under debate.
PFLAG Brisbane spokeswoman Shelley Argent told Sydney Star Observer she was surprised by the move and labelled it discriminatory.
“I think [the LNP] just fear two men with children, I don’t know why,” she said.
“I can’t imagine why he’s bothering to do this as the Bill is only up for discussion. I think he’s frightened it may go through.”
Argent also rejected Springborg’s claims the Opposition’s bill was in the best interests of children, saying the argument stemmed from an outdated notion that only a mother and father are capable of raising children.
“Divorced dads, single mothers are just as capable of looking after children and with altruistic surrogacy it’s more than likely they would know the mother,” Argent said.
“Gay men have mothers in their lives and sisters and aunts.
“You’ve got to ask, what is the real fear here?”
Queensland is the only Australian state in which altruistic surrogacy is a criminal offence, punishable by a hefty fine or jail time.
The Opposition Bill would allow women the right to give birth to a child for another couple — for no payment — only if the couple is heterosexual. Same-sex surrogacy would remain illegal.
“This Bill untangles the web of social engineering the Bligh Labor Government has attempted to force on the people of Queensland,” Springborg said in a statement.
“The eligibility requirements for altruistic surrogacy are in line with the Bligh Labor Government’s adoption requirements and reflect the need to put the best interests of Queensland’s children first.”
The Bligh Government’s draft laws released last month included same-sex couples. Government MPs have been allowed a conscience vote on the proposed legislation.
I 100 percent fully AGREE with Dave – right on!!!!
Kevin Rudd is no different. He is a politican in the same ilk as this oppossition leader.
Both support Chrsitian Hate Groups in Queensland, both quote God when talking about us. Conservative Nepal is now overtaking us on gay rights. Kevin Rudd has brought us back down to Queenslands level of hate.
Where was Kevin Rudd on his big “Sorry Day” He did not mention the Australian Chrisitian Lobby, some of whom still try and protect child sex offenders.
The facts are gay and lesbian people are much better parents then Church Groups, and especially the Government. Love makes a family, not neglect. These politicians are the last people to lecture us on the Bible and Family values.
I call for Liberal National Party deputy leader Lawrence Springborg to be sacked from his position right now for his stupid and dumb “plain old bigotry” on surrogacy reforms!!!!!!! Thank god Labor is in power after the recent QLD election, Anna Bligh is the best Premier of Queensland that we have ever had!!!!!
She was right on the Adoption Act 2009 [QLD] by when she quoted: “there is not enough community support for gay adoption since we are a conservative state, but we will recognize IVF and surrogacy parentage and other reforms for gay couples just like all the other states/territories have done – except for South Australia”. No equal age of consent planned for QLD either, currently the age of consent is 16 for both oral and vaginal sex and 18 for anal sex.
Dear editor,
Rosemary’s Baby sometimes gets possessed when she’s pissed off, and is in the habit of saying before thinking. You should probably edit out the first sentence of her last post, because Cyborg is just the type of person who would sue SSO for defamation, and if that meant the end of the SSO, we’d all have to read SX News.
Yours,
Linda Blair (Rosemary’s other child)
Springborg is [text removed]. Currently Qld residents who enter into a surrogacy arrangement anywhere, even outside Qld, are liable to criminal prosecution. How this is policed, I don’t know. Perhaps the Qld police force has a turkey baster squad. The stupidity of Springborg’s proposal is that despite trying to stop same sex couples from accessing surrogacy, it won’t stop them from having children through IVF/donor insemination, either through a clinic or at home. Nothing illegal about that. And I wonder if there has actually been any criminal prosecution of a Queenslander who has entered into a surrogacy arrangement. How such a prosecution will benefit society is a mystery, and what is supposed to happen with the child born into a surrogacy arrangement whilst the intending parents potentially spend time? Send him/her back? Place him/her into foster care? How does that promote the child’s best interests? What a fucked police state. My advice to those Qld same sex couples considering surrogacy – relocate elsewhere.
I word I was outraged too when I saw this on the unbiased ABC news website just now:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/tag/surrogacy/