Commission welcomes ART reforms

01/09/2008

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission today welcomed the introduction of new assisted reproductive treatment and surrogacy laws which remove discrimination against single women and lesbians.

“Single women, lesbians and heterosexual couples all have the desire for a child which leads them to seek out IVF technology, but the current laws mean IVF is only available to women who are infertile,” said Commission CEO Dr Helen Szoke.

“There are reasons other than infertility that make conception difficult or impossible. If we make reproductive technologies available we need to make them available to all who need them –not restrict them on an arbitrary and discriminatory basis.”

The new laws address discrimination that was identified by the Commission in its 1998 report, Same Sex Relationships and the Law.

The changes bring the state law in line with the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act and the federal Sex Discrimination Act, and build better protections for children born through IVF and surrogacy, including giving legal recognition to non-biological parents.

“Children can be successfully raised in single parent families, just as they can be successfully raised by married couples, defacto couples and same-sex couples,” said Dr Szoke.

“This is a welcome recognition of the reality that we have a range of diverse families in our community – all families deserve protection against discrimination.”

The Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities has special protections for families and children. The Charter recognises that families are the fundamental group unit of society and are entitled protection by the State, and that every child has the right to protection in their best interests, without discrimination. The gender or number of parents that constitutes a family is not stated.

“Being a fit and proper parent is not about slotting into some social or sexual template. It’s about providing long term commitment, care, love, responsibility and guidance,” said Dr Szoke.

“The new laws strengthen human rights protections for families and children.”

If you would like to arrange an interview with Dr Helen Szoke, please contact Jessica Ardley on 03) 92817133 or 0428881254