Australia: Homosexuals can 'Commission' Surrogate Children

The Australian Christian Lobby has denounced the legislation as "social engineering" and says it will enable gay men to "order" a surrogate baby on demand.

Victoria, Australia (Secular Heretic) - Gay men will be able to commission a baby via a surrogate mother under new Victorian laws in Australia.

The landmark laws, passed in State Parliament late on Thursday, legalize surrogacy and give lesbians and single women access to fertility treatment, including IVF.

The Australian Christian Lobby has denounced the legislation as "social engineering" and says it will enable gay men to "order" a surrogate baby on demand.

"It steps outside the natural family, two men can't (physically) have a baby," lobby spokesman Rob Ward said.

The wishes of homosexuals to have children should not be placed above the inalienable rights of children to be conceived through the loving embrace of a mother and a father.

There are good reasons that children need both biological parents. The sexes are different. Because gender is a real phenomenon, it should come as no surprise that men and women parent differently. Men and women bring different, complementary skills to childrearing. Men are more likely to play expansively with their children than to do mundane care taking; women tend to be more practical. Mothers tend to be more responsive to their child's immediate needs, while fathers tend to be more firm, more oriented to abstract standards of justice (right and wrong). Kids need both.

Mothers tend to emphasize the emotional security of their children, while fathers tend to stress competition and risk taking. Mothers tend to seek the immediate well-being of the child, while fathers tend to foster long-term autonomy and independence. Children need both parents, because they learn different lessons from each. Neither fathers nor mothers are expendable. The presence of a father is critical to a male child's learning self-control and appropriate male behavior, especially learning to respect women. Similarly, the presence of a father is vital for a female child's self-respect and eventual development of a healthy adult sexuality. Children need mothers just as much. The presence of both parents seems to be necessary for ideally balanced emotional and mental development.

Marriage between a man and a woman, is a major public health issue and not just a private affair. Marriages that are exclusive, permanent, unconditional, and life-giving contribute much to public health and longevity; marriages that fail any of these criteria and end in divorce create an enormous social, emotional, and health care burden for the couple, their children, and society.