In a Media Release issued today, Family First NZ is rejecting calls for adoption laws to be liberalised.
“The purpose of adoption is not to provide a child to adults, but rather to provide a family to a child,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
“Same sex couple and single parent adoption and surrogacy potentially harms children because it intentionally creates motherless and fatherless families – all at the same time as we express concern at the high rates of fatherlessness and solo parent households. There is no shortage of married couples willing to adopt.”
“While a compassionate and caring society should come to the aid of motherless and fatherless children, it is dangerous ground to intentionally set out to create fatherless or motherless families.”
“The argument of discrimination and rights doesn’t apply because the law already – and rightly – discriminates against, for example, single men adopting girls, couples adopting under the age of 25, adults in a polygamist relationship adopting, and an adult with a record of violence,” says Mr McCoskrie.
“Non-discrimination and adult human rights in adoption is an adult-centred policy. The granting of special rights to some – in this case single adults, and same-sex and de facto couples – can also mean that other people – children – lose their rights. But we must give primary consideration to the best interests of the child.”
“Nature dictates that a man and a woman are required for procreation. This limitation shows that a child’s best interests are served by it having a mother and a father. The two most loving women in the world simply cannot provide a daddy – and vice versa,” says Mr McCoskrie. “The gender of the parents does matter.”
“While this is not always possible because of breakdown, death and other factors, when we look at the difficult issue of adoption, we must aim to give the child to be adopted the very best option we can – to be adopted by a mum and a dad.”
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