Britain: Gay couples win parenting rights

According to a May 22 Sydney Morning Herald report, "Britain has forged landmark new rights" for gay and single women when the House of Commons "unexpectedly" voted against proposals that would have would have required fertility clinics to consider a child's "need for a father" before providing treatment. Instead, clinics are required to consider the "need for supportive parenting". When lesbian couples conceive with donated sperm or gay men use a surrogate mother, both partners can be listed as the parents on the birth certificate. SMH pointed out that n Australia, currently "only the natural mother or father is automatically considered to be a parent when homosexual couples have fertility treatment".

From GLW issue 752