The announcement in Labor’s election launch of new environmental initiatives clearly reflects their preference deal with the Greens and has heightened concerns for Christians about what other deals may have been done in the area of social policy to reflect the Green’s radical agenda in non-environmental areas.
“While increased concern for the environment is generally welcomed, ACL is particularly worried that a Bligh government would introduce surrogacy laws with all the worst features of recent Victorian legislation, which even permits two men to acquire babies through surrogacy,” said ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace.
In response to a question on whether they would ensure that any introduction of surrogacy would be restricted to infertile heterosexual couples, Labor had only regurgitated the fact that a report on surrogacy was before the parliament. (See Labor’s and other parties’ responses at www.qldvotes.org )
“Labor gave a totally evasive response on the issue of whether it would allow even two men to have a baby by surrogacy,” said ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace. “And we have no response at all from the Greens on the issue, only the record of the party’s unqualified support for it in other states.”
“The Christian constituency is understandably nervous about the confidence it can put in Labor promises after Federal Labor’s removal of the ban on aid money being used for abortion last week, despite indications before the federal election in much less equivocal terms than Bligh has used on surrogacy that that wouldn’t happen,” said Mr Wallace.
ACL believes this is a fundamental question of the best interests of the child.
“The three weeks of an election campaign is the time when parties must give answers, not equivocate,” Mr Wallace said. “All parties know the recommendations of the report on surrogacy before parliament and cannot claim any integrity before the electorate, if they fail to give a straight answer. That answer must also address the broader principle of ensuring state government policy always seeks to give children the opportunity to have both a mother and a father,” he said
Mr Wallace said that the LNP’s responses had stressed their commitment to ‘the right of children wherever possible to have the love of a mother and a father’ and their intention to keep to this principle in the context of surrogacy laws. Family First has also decisively rejected same-sex surrogacy.
Media Contact: Glynis Quinlan on 0408 875 979
