| Subject: Re: Submission: Assisted Reproduction & Adoption |
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Date Posted: Sunday, May 30, 02:51:35am
In reply to:
Sexuality Officer
's message, "Submission: Assisted Reproduction & Adoption" on Sunday, May 16, 11:39:32pm
In response to the selected questions:
9. Current practices for testing for the presence of HIV/AIDS in a person's semen are so accurate that it seems unnecessary to ask questions of donors concerning sexual activity.
There is little reason to suggest that a gay man is any more likely to have HIV/AIDS simply because he has engaged in male-to-male sex. Of course, male-to-male sex is very safe if protection is used. Beliefs that promiscuity among gay men is considerably higher than among other groups of society are false.
34. Yes. I believe that the semen donor of a child should have no legal rights or responsibilities, and that the birth mother's partner should be the legal parent of the child. Therefore, the birth certificate of the child would indicate that the child has two mothers. However, such recognition should only be made with the full support of both the birth mother and the birth mother's partner.
35. Generally, the non-birth mother should be registered as one of the mothers under the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. However, if this does not occur, the non-birth mother should not automatically be denied rights to her child. This should be left to the judge's discretion. If it can be demonstrated that the non-birth mother genuinely took on the role of one of the child's mothers, then the non-birth mother should not be denied any rights relating to this child.
37. Yes. It is important for all parties involved--the birth mother, semen donor, child, and non-birth mother or father--that the Status of Children Act 1974 explicitly state that the child is not the child of the semen donor. I believe also that a semen donor is entitled to strict confidentiality.
41. There is no reason to suggest that a same-sex couple is any less capable of raising a child than is a heterosexual couple. Therefore, full adoption rights should be extended to same-sex couples. Denial of such a right is based on myths of homosexual promiscuity as well as on homophobic Christian beliefs in the 'nuclear family'.
42. A donor should be able to adopt a child jointly with a single mother or with a lesbian couple, provided that there is consent from the single mother or lesbian couple. If this does not occur while the child is still very young, then the consent of the child should also be sought.
43. This should apply also to a donor and his partner under the same circumstances.
52. If an opposite-sex couple may adopt children from a surrogate mother, so too should a single mother or lesbian couple be able to adopt children from a surrogate mother.
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