A step forward for same sex surrogate parents

The Australian Christian Lobby is accusing the NSW Government of threatening children’s rights after a new surrogacy bill was introduced into the Upper House early this week.

The bill proposes parentage rights to couples and individuals who engage in altruistic surrogacy agreements, regardless of their sexual orientation and without the need of an adoption application.

Director of NSW ACL, Mr David Hutt, said that the lobby is disappointed in what he calls the lack of courage of NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally, to stand against the bill.

“It’s disappointing. She and other politicians don’t seem to have courage to stand against the agenda of less than two per cent of the population.

“It is negligent of the State to put the agenda of a selfish minority ahead of children’s rights to have a mother and a father,” he said.

The NSW Attorney General, John Hatzistergos, said that the new legislation will give rights to children born through surrogacy agreements, and that courts will protect the child’s best interests.

“With a parentage order, couples will find it easier to enrol their surrogate child in school, make decisions about their health care and apply for a passport for them,” he said.

The new legislation will also offer full legal recognition retrospectively to parents who are raising children under 18 years of age.

Mr David Hutt said that the ACL is lobbying politicians on both sides to ensure that children begin their lives with a male and a female parent.

The Policy and Development Coordinator of the Australian Gay and Lesbians Lobby, Senthorun Raj, said that the Christian arguments against the bill are misleading.

Mr Raj said altruistic surrogacy is not a new practice in NSW and that the new bill will protect children’s interests.

“This bill is not about the gender of the adoptive parents, it’s about the recognition of children who are already living in differently structured families.

“It is for the benefits of those children who are born as a result of surrogacy agreement, it is their right to have parents.”

NSW Greens MP, David Shoebridge said the new legislation recognises significant changes in NSW society and family structure.

“Children born of surrogacy are living with loving families but neither the parents nor the children themselves currently have protection of law,” Mr Shoebridge said.

“This legislation reflects modern ideas of what family is, including that parents don’t necessarily need to be of the same gender, or biologically linked to their children.”

BY MARINA FRERI