Oz Debates Ban on Gay Surrogacy

An Australian member of parliament for Queensland introduced a bill on Wednesday that would bar same-sex couples and single parents from access to surrogates within the state.

Under the proposed legislation, only married heterosexual couples who have been together for at least two years would be legally able to have a child by surrogate arrangement.

"The bill will make certain that young Queenslanders born through an eligible surrogacy arrangement will be cared for in a safe, stable and nurturing family and home life right through their childhood," said Lawrence Springborg, the deputy leader of the Opposition Party, reports the Courier-Mail. "The bill also makes it clear that the only form of surrogacy which will be legal, will be non-commercial and for heterosexual couples only. Same sex and single surrogacy arrangements will remain illegal."

The attorney general for Queensland, Cameron Dick, called the legislation a "disgraceful step backwards for Queensland."

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