With debate about to start today on the Surrogacy Bill 2009, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has written to all Queensland Labor and Independent MPs urging them to do what is right and delay and split the bill so that surrogacy for single adults and same-sex couples is considered separately.

“It is wrong, and an act of little less than deceit, that the Bligh Government is making the pretence of this being a conscience vote, while refusing to split the government bill to allow any real choice on whether to support heterosexual altruistic surrogacy without supporting surrogacy for homosexuals and singles,” ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace wrote in the letter to Labor MPs.

Mr Wallace today said that he had written the letters to ensure that Labor and Independent MPs understood the gravity of concern about the surrogacy legislation and carefully weighed up their position.

“We are so concerned that the best interests of the child are being overridden by this legislation that we will be carefully monitoring how individual MPs vote on the surrogacy bill and considering our political response in the context of the next election,” he said.

Below is the full text of Mr Wallace’s letter:

”I am writing this urgent letter in the hope that you will honour the fundamental right of children in Queensland to at least begin life with the complementary love and care of a mother and a father.

It is a reality in this world that there are things that are right and things that are wrong.  What your government is proposing is very wrong.

It is wrong to the point of being a breach of your most sacred duty, demanded by both convention and international law, that you only ever act in the best interests of the child in public policy.

It is wrong that the timing of this bill being tabled and voted on was contrived so that the great majority of constituents with genuine concerns about this legislation were unable to discuss them with their elected representative because they were on holidays.

It is wrong, and an act of little less than deceit, that the Bligh Government is making the pretence of this being a conscience vote, while refusing to split the government bill to allow any real choice on whether to support heterosexual altruistic surrogacy without supporting surrogacy for homosexuals and singles.  You well know that the Opposition Bill does not give your people a real choice given the conventions on party loyalty on Opposition bills.

It is wrong, that this is being done as a matter of ideology against the majority opinion of Queenslanders, and instead is a response to the political demands of the gay and lesbian rights lobby which cannot even claim to represent the majority of the homosexual community, itself only around 2% of the population. 

It is wrong that through this bill, children and their inalienable right to a father and mother will become another casualty in the relentless push by this unrepresentative political movement to “normalise” their relationships, which clearly are not normal as the inability to procreate naturally proves.

It is wrong to add to this offence against children, by including the fabrication of “birth” certificates to exclude a child’s biological parents by this legislation.

It is wrong that voting for the whole bill has been presented as necessary to avoid seeing desperate couples go to jail, when the deterrents for breaking the law could easily have been framed so as to avoid this happening, perhaps by focussing on fines for the provider of the service.

But it is entirely right, even at this late stage, for you to let the Premier know that you are not happy with the choice before you and demand that further consideration of this Bill be delayed until it can be split and offer real choice.

I pray that you will decide to do what is right.”

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