Overwhelming Lower House vote on gay parenting sends strong message to Legislative Council

This media release was issued by the TGLRG on 20.8.09.

Human rights and legal advocates have welcomed overwhelming, cross-party support in Tasmania's Lower House for the recognition of families headed by same-sex couples.

All but three members of the House of Assembly today voted to legally recognise the non-biological mothers of children born through fertility treatments like IVF.

Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said that the overwhelming vote sends a strong message to the Tasmanian Upper House that it's time to end legal discrimination against same-sex partners and their children.

"Our message to Upper House members is simple: the issue they face is not whether children should have a father and a mother, but whether children already being raised by two mums should have one legal parent or two", Mr Croome said.

Women's Legal Service Managing Solicitor, Susan Fahey, welcomed the vote, saying reform is in the best interests of children.

"The failure of the law to recognise the co-mother of a child born through fertility treatment creates legal and emotional uncertainty not only for the parents in that family but for the child", Ms Fahey said.

"At the moment, in hospital and school settings, a co-mother can be denied the right to make important decisions in behalf of her child."

Legal recognition of co-mothers was endorsed by the Tasmanian Lower House in 2003 but rejected by one vote in the Upper House.

Since that time most other Australians states and the Commonwealth have changed their laws to allow for such recognition.

For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668 or Susan Fahey on 0418 434 236.