By Rod Benson
On Thursday a bill giving same-sex couples in NSW the right to apply to adopt children passed its final hurdle in Parliament. Last week the bill passed the Lower House, and has now passed the Upper House with a substantial 22-15 majority, with final amendments passed quickly in the Lower House on Thursday afternoon.
The NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby claimed that Parliament had “acted in the best interests of children,” a claim rejected by Upper House member the Reverend Fred Nile, who said the passing of the bill destroyed the right of every child to have a mother and a father.
The issue divides the community and the churches. Child welfare agencies the Benevolent Society and UnitingCare Burnside supported the bill, while Anglicare and CatholicCare opposed it.
We now wait to see what longterm effects this social experiment will have on children whose natural parents are unable to care for them.
Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 12 September 2010. Image: http://bit.ly/b3FK4c
