Friday Legal Updates - Australian Adoption Law & Same-Sex Couples

Surrogacy - No, it is not Friday yet! But, I am taking a much needed holiday, so Friday updates are today.

The debate on a bill that would allow same sex couples to adopt children in New South Wales has started in Australia. There should be a vote of the Legislative Assembly sometime this week.

The debates have led supporters and protestors of the bill to ramp up their lobbying. “As church groups held a fiery rally at Parliament House, it emerged that the head of Uniting Care NSW.ACT, Harry Herbert, had urged MPs to support the bill… ‘While due diligence should certainly be exercised to ensure the rights of the child are properly protected, the mere fact that prospective parents are in a same-sex relationship should not, of itself, be a barrier to adoption,’ he said.”

Mr. Herbert was joined in supporting the bill by The Benevolent Society and The Minister for Community Services and the Education Minister both stated that they would be voting for the bill.

“Discussion of the bill dominated caucus yesterday, with one MP describing it as ‘another stem cell debate’. The MP said that the Labor MLC Greg Donnelly spoke against the bill, ‘but the majority support it.’ Ms Moore, the independent MP for Sydney, will reintroduce the bill today - one day earlier than initially planned - to include an amendment that allows faith-based adoption agencies to refuse to provide services to gay and lesbian couples without breaching anti-discrimination laws.”

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mps-to-debate-samesex-adoption-bill-20100831-1...