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GLBT rights advocates have welcomed legislation granting equal parenting rights to lesbian co-mothers of children born through donor insemination.
The Miscellaneous Acts Amendment (Same Sex Relationships) Bill 2008 passed through parliament last week with a vote of 64-11, supported by Labor, the Greens and various Coalition members.
The legislation will provide stronger protection against discrimination for same-sex de facto couples. These rights include being listed as a parent on the child’s birth certificate, parental rights regarding medical consent, inheritance, workers compensations, and custodial rights in the event of a break-up.
Emily Gray, Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) Co-Convenor, said that with around 1000 children in NSW with two mothers, the legislation “finally reflects the reality of Australian families in 2008”.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore embraced the legislation in a speech in parliament. “The new laws are in the best interests of the children of lesbian couples, who currently have less financial and emotional security than the children of heterosexual couples,” she said. Moore added that she will continue to support the GLRL’s push for same-sex adoption rights in New South Wales.
The parental rights for gay male couples who organise with lesbian couples to co-parent children were excluded from the Bill.
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