Same-sex Adoption Bill Passes House - NSW Parliament

Wednesday 8 September 2010 @ 3.58 p.m. | Legal Research

The NSW Parliament Legislative Assembly have recently passed the ' Adoption Amendment (Same Sex Couples) Bill 2010 (No 2)', passed narrowly by a vote of 45 to 43 yesterday it allows gay and lesbian couples the same rights under adoption law as homosexual individuals and heterosexual couples.

An except from the Bill's explanatory notes explains the purpose of the Bill:

"The object of this Bill is to amend the Adoption Act 2000 to allow couples of the same sex to adopt children. At present under that Act, a couple is defined to mean a man and a woman who are married or who have a de facto relationship. The Bill amends that definition, along with the definition of spouse, so that they include persons who are de facto partners."

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This Bill is a huge stepping stone for homosexual individuals and human rights within NSW. It will be considered by the Legislative Council next week, where the vote is expected to be similarly close.

Do you belive homosexual couples should be allowed the same adoption rights as heterosexual couples?