• KRC on ABC Radio: Surrogacy Bill wrong and unnecessary

    Date: 2010.02.07 | Category: Uncategorized | Tags:

    Listen here (7MB, requires QuickTime) to Kids Rights Count spokesman, Dr David van Gend, and Qld Attorney General Cameron Dick interviewed on the Surrogacy Bill 2009 on ABC radio.

    The Attorney General defended the Government’s Surrogacy Bill on two grounds – but both of his legitimate points can be resolved without resorting to this radical, culture-deforming piece of social engineering.

    First, Mr Dick raised the concern that the current laws in Queensland carry a possible prison sentence for anybody engaging in surrogacy – even altruistic surrogacy. Both political parties agree in wanting to remove the prospect of imprisonment for the adults in charge of a surrogate baby – and so, indeed, do we at Kids Rights Count, because it is not in the interests of a child to have his or her carers in prison. However, that change can be achieved by a simple amendment to the existing surrogacy law of 1988 – we do not need a new law that smuggles in radical and harmful social experiments under the respectable cloak of decriminalising altruistic suggogacy.

    Second, Mr Dick referred to the need to treat all kids equally – for instance the issues of a surrogate child’s right to inherit from a deceased surrogate ‘parent’. Also the issue of legal certainty of guardianship for a surrogate child (so an adult(s) has legally secure rights and responsibilities in the care of a surrogate child, regarding health matters, education etc).

    Again, we agree – the child should not be further disadvantaged just because of the disturbed circumstances of her creation and birth. As Dr van Gend explained in advance, both these issues are readily sorted out without recourse to this radical new surrogacy Bill.

    1. Re inheritance: amendments can be made to the Succession Act to allow a surrogate child, like other childrne whose parental circumstances are irregular, to have a claim on the estate of those acting as their ‘parents’.

    2. Re certainty of guardianship – such situations are already being adequately resolved through the Family Court, under federal legislation, and there is again no justification for introducing the surrogacy-any-two-blokes-can-have-their-own-baby-Bill 2009 in Queensland.

    No, the cultural wrecking-ball of the Surrogacy Bill 2009 is not justified by the Attorney General’s arguments. This Bill is not only wrong, it is unnecessary.

    Share