As the dust settles on last week’s surrogacy debate in the Queensland Parliament, ACL is determined to ensure that the dust does not settle.

We have been trolling through the Hansard looking at the speeches of those Labor MPs who voted to rob some children of a mother and a father by extending surrogacy to singles and homosexuals.

A speech every Queenslander should read is Premier Anna Bligh’s. Breathtaking in its disdain for the rights of the child, it also misleads the Parliament.

“Queensland would be the only state in Australia that would prohibit single people from accessing surrogacy arrangements or discriminate against people on the basis of same-sex relationships,” Ms Bligh told Parliament.

This is untrue.

ACL understands that Victoria and the ACT are the only jurisdictions that have legislated to allow homosexuals access to surrogacy.

Single men, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are excluded by West Australian legislation. South Australia has specifically excluded same-sex surrogacy and singles in their legislation.

Another Labor MP, former Attorney General Kerry Shine, said: “The law should be a shelter for all beliefs and lifestyles”.
Sadly, this view of the world dismisses the preferred lifestyle of children to know and be loved by both their biological mother and father.

The tragedy of the surrogacy debate is that children’s rights are trumped by the lifestyle desires of adults.

ACL would like to thank everyone who signed the E-petition, wrote emails through our www.makeastand.org.au website and phoned politicians’ offices last week.

There was a massive groundswell towards the end but sadly we mobilised too late, despite our efforts over 12 months to warn churches and grass roots Christians of the gravity of what the Bligh Government was planning to do.

In the end, Labor MPs Margaret Keech and Michael Choi were the only ones to vote against denying children their mother and father.

The LNP has pledged to repeal the aspects of the surrogacy bill which allow singles and homosexuals the right to commission babies.

ACL welcomes this but remains opposed to heterosexual surrogacy because it is fraught with complications for children and adults.

Media Contact: Glynis Quinlan on 0408 875 979.

Australian Christian Lobby
Canberra, Australia

Tel: (02) 6259 0431

Fax: (02) 6259 0462

Mob: 0448 602 878

www.acl.org.au