Gay Surrogacy For Queensland?
The Queensland opposition party wants same-sex couples denied access to surrogacy, but the state’s Attorney General says the idea is a “disgraceful step backwards for Queensland”.
The Queensland government has condemned the Liberal-National opposition party for introducing a bill that excludes single parents and same-sex couples from relaxed surrogacy laws.
“The bill will make certain that young Queenslanders born through an eligible surrogacy arrangement will be cared for in a safe, stable and nurturing family and home life right through their childhood,” said Lawrence Springborg, the deputy leader of the Opposition Party.
The ‘safe’ environment that Springborg proposes is within heterosexual relationships and marriages. “The bill also makes it clear that the only form of surrogacy which will be legal, will be non-commercial and for heterosexual couples only. Same sex and single surrogacy arrangements will remain illegal,” said Springborg.
Queensland’s Attorney General, Cameron Dick, says that the opposition’s response to Queensland Labor’s decision to decriminalise altruistic surrogacy is ‘offensive’.
“The Opposition’s Bill will return Queensland to the [Sir] Joh [Bjelke-Petersen] era of arch-conservatism, rank discrimination by demonising single mothers and same-sex couples,” Dick told ABC Online.
Introduced to parliament yesterday, the bill will be put to a conscious vote for both opposition and government parties. Commentators suspect a conscious vote could reveal divisions on the issue of same-sex parenting within Queensland Labor.
Your Thoughts
To post a comment, you need to be a SameSame Member
eurolad
said ages ago