Sample letters to the Attorney General
The Victorian Government tabled the report of the Victorian Law Reform Commission on 7 June, and are now considering the report and its 130 recommendations, and formulating their policy position. Now, before the end of June, is the time to write to Attorney General Rob Hulls and urge the Victorian Government to adopt the recommendations and make them law.
We need members of rainbow families and prospective parents to write letters, as well as our supportive friends and family. Check the campaign home page for more ways that you and your family can get active, including coming to our community forums on 23 and 24 June.
Please write personal letters including your full name/s and address, and mail before 29 June. It would be great to include a family photo, maybe with lots of grandparents, aunties etc. It's also really important that you explicitly give ask in your letter for the letter to be given to Premier Bracks and other members of Cabinet. All of them need to know that this issue is about real people!
Address your letters to:
The Hon. Rob Hulls
Attorney General
Level 26, 121 Exhibition St
Melbourne Vic 3001
Here we provide an outline of a possible structure for a letter written by a member of a rainbow family/prospective parent, and another for a letter written by a supportive family member/friend. Below that we provide a few examples of real letters to Mr Hulls from members of the community for inspiration!
Possible structure for a letter from a member
of a rainbow family/prospective parent
Dear Mr Hulls,
I am writing in relation to the release of the Victorian Law Reform Commission Report on Assisted Reproductive Technology & Adoption.
I am ... [set out in a couple of sentences details of personal circumstances - mother/non-bio father/donor/father/prospective mother/in a relationship for x years and so on].
The recommendations set out in the Report will make a huge difference to me/my family because ... [explain why the recommendations will affect you eg:] "I will be able to access services in Victoria/I will be able to commission a surrogacy arrangement in Victoria/I will be able to be recognised as the legal parent of my children/I will be able to adopt my partner's children."
[NOTE: make this part as personal as you like - it's really important to show how the recommendations will have real consequences for real families - existing and prospective! eg:]
"Ever since our first child was born over 4 years ago, I have worried about what could happen to our kids if something happened to me. I have done everything I can to protect them (wills, superannuation, parenting orders etc) but to know that legally, my partner - my children's other mother - could be recognised as their parent and that my children's family will be protected would give me enormous peace of mind."
[You may want to add something about how pleased you were that the Commission focused on the best interests of the child, with something about why the specific recommendations that apply to you will have that effect].
I really appreciate the work done by the Commission. I ask that the Victorian government implement the recommendations as soon as possible to provide recognition and protection for our families.
Yours sincerely,
Name
Address (important to show that you are Victorian, and a voter!)
PS I am happy for this letter to be copied to Premier Bracks and members of Cabinet.
Possible structure for a letter from a supportive family member/friend
What you might say in an email to a friend/family member when asking them to write:
As you probably know, the Victorian Law Reform Commission released its long-awaited report on Assisted Reproductive Technology & Adoption last week. The Report made numerous recommendations for law reform, including [details of the ones that affect you - eg recognising the non-biological mother as a parent]. The recommendations are really positive, and would make an enormous difference to our family. But the next step is to convince the government to implement them.
It's really important that the government know that lots of people - and not just gay and lesbian families - support the recommendations. In the Report, the Commission included lots of examples of submissions received from grandparents, other extended family, child care workers and friends as evidence that these issues are of concern to the wider community. It would be great if you could write a letter or send an email to the Attorney General showing your support for us and for the recommendations of the Commission.
A letter or email doesn't have to be long or detailed - below is an example of the kind of thing you could send. A snail mail letter is best, or you could email rob.hulls@parliament.vic.gov.au.
The Hon. Rob Hulls
Attorney General
Level 26, 121 Exhibition St
Melbourne Vic 3001
Dear Mr Hulls,
I am writing in relation to the release of the Victorian Law Reform Commission Report on Assisted Reproductive Technology & Adoption.
I am [explain who you are - e.g. grandmother of twins being raised by my daughter and her partner of x years].
I was really pleased to read about the recommendations of the Commission, in particular the proposal to [eg recognise the non-biological mother as a parent/allow second parent adoption/permit access to donor insemination for lesbians].
If relevant, include details of why - for example: I consider the twins my grandchildren, regardless of the lack of a biological link - no different to my other grandchildren. It would be such a relief to me to know that my grandchildren will have the protection of having BOTH their parents recognised as such OR I can't wait to be a grandfather, and knowing my daughter/daughter's partner/son will be able to access reproductive services in Victoria will help make that dream a reality.
I congratulate the Commission for the work done on the Report and urge the Victorian government to implement the proposed law reform as a matter of urgency.
Yours sincerely,
NAME
ADDRESS
PS I am happy for this letter to be copied to Premier Bracks and members of Cabinet.
REAL LIFE LETTERS
Thanks to those who gave their permission for their letters to the Attorney General to be published on this website for inspiration!
Dear Mr Hulls,
I am writing in regards to report on assisted reproductive technology and adoption by the VLRC release on June 7th 2007.
I, as a lesbian mother have eagerly anticipated the release of the report. My partner Anna and I made a submission to the VLRC in 2004. At that time we wrote of how the current Victorian Laws affected us, as lesbians planning to have children. At that time the laws forced us to access clinics interstate, causing increased anxiety, increased unexplained absence from work and increased financial cost to us for travel. Since writing that submission we have conceived, and given birth to our first daughter, Mabel.
Mabel is the most amazing little girl. One of the first things she says when she wakes up is “dancing” and we have to go put music on. Her favourite things in the world are woo woo’s (dogs) and she will look for them wherever we go. She hates being stuck in the pram or her car seat and as soon as she is buckled in she wants to get out again. She loves apples, but also thinks that anything circle in shape is an apple too! She loves the rain but is known to yell at it if it gets too loud falling on the window. She loves to sing nursery rhymes, incy wincy spider is her favourite-for this week anyway. She has many dolls and loves to put nappies on them, feed them bottles and pat them to sleep. She loves books, especially books about animals. She loves yoghurt and cheese but isn’t so keen on carrots or mushrooms. At night time she gives ‘nye nyes’ kisses and cuddles to her mums and she goes to sleep tightly hugging one of her many favourite toys. Mabel could be any 20 month old girl, amazing and busy and cheeky and charming. But Mabel is different to other toddlers because she has two Mums, and that makes her different because current Victorian Legislation makes her different, it doesn’t recognise her family.
Mabel loves and adores her two mums and introduces us to everybody she meets, pointing “Mum” to my partner, her non biological mother, then “Muma” to me, then smiling proudly. Mabel doesn’t know any different, she has always had two mums, we are her family. She has no idea that Victorian legislation does not recognise one of her mums. She has no idea that because of current Victorian laws she had to be conceived in a completely different state to she lives. Mabel doesn’t know that if her mums were to separate her Mum would not have any automatic rights to see Mabel, nor would Mum have any financial obligation to look after Mabel. Mabel doesn’t know that should her Muma die she will not automatically remain living in her home, with her Mum. Mabel doesn’t know that unlike her cousins or her friends at child care that her family is not recognised in law at all.
One day soon Mabel will start to realise that she does not have the same rights as her cousins, as her friends. One day she will realise that she has a birth certificate that does not represent her whole family, it is not a true reflection of who she is, or the relationship she was born into. She will realise that both her parents aren’t recognised by Victorian law and all that that entails.
Mabel is here, now, she is the same as any other child in a loving, adoring family. She gets very spoilt by her grandparents, she causes trouble at family gatherings taking dolls from her cousins, at dinner she eats off everybody else’s plate but her own. Mabel deserves to be protected by Victorian legislation. She deserves the VLRC recommendations to be accepted, as do all the children of Rainbow families. Mabel is vulnerable now and will continue to be vulnerable if the legislation remains unchanged. You and your government have the power to provide that protection to Mabel. We urge you to make the recommendations legislation and to make that happen soon, before Mabel grows up and realises that she is living in a society that gives preference to discrimination over diversity.
Sincerely
Sacha Petersen
PS I am happy for this letter to be copied to Premier Bracks and members of Cabinet.
I am writing to express my strong support for the Victorian Law Reform
Commissions recommendations regarding assisted reproduction and
adoption. I commend the commission for basing these recommendations
upon the best interests of the child and for recognising that parents
sexuality or marital status are not key determinants of a child's best
interests. Many of the recommendations are directly relevant to my
family and will have an enormously positive impact upon my children's
lives if they are enacted into law.
My partner and I are a male same sex couple residing in Victoria. We are
the proud parents of two young children conceived though assisted
reproduction technology outside of Victoria.
Our children are our number one priority. They are incredibly happy
and have brought so much joy to us and our extended families. Our
parents, who never expected to become grandparents through us, are so
delighted to be able to take on that role. These babies are surrounded
by a loving family who is ever grateful for the help and assistance of
the medical professionals and both the egg donor and surrogate which
brought them into being. Ultimately if it had not been for the right
of these women to choose to help us, then these beautiful children
would never have been born.
In many ways the majority of these reform are actually women's choice
issues. I believe in a woman's self determined right to make active
choices about her reproduction, both whether to have or not to have
children and for whom. All women deserve the legal right to access
fertility services if required. I further support the right of a women
to choose to act as a surrogate if she so desires.
At present, our children are still too young to comprehend the
circumstances surrounding their origins, but it won't be too long
before they begin to ask questions about this. It is at this stage
that they may begin to feel that they are in some ways different to
their peers.
However, the legalisation of same sex adoption and surrogacy in
Victoria, and hence the validation that same sex couples can adequately
parent, would no doubt have an enormous impact upon the community's
perception that our family unit is acceptable. This in turn would boost
our children's self esteem and feeling of belonging in the community.
This would no doubt also be the case for all the other children
parented by same sex couples in Victoria.
The reality is that if enacted, these recommendations will not lead to
a large increase in the number of children being born through assisted
reproductive techniques, it will simply make the process much less
difficult and obstructive. At present, single women, lesbians and gay
men are having to travel to other jurisdictions to access these
services. If the law doesn't change this will continue to occur. Once
they return to Victoria their children receive limited protection
under the law. If these recommendations are enacted children will
continue to be born into single parent and same sex families however
the children will now be conceived in Victoria, and once born will
receive equal rights to all other children.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my support for these
recommendations and the incredibly positive impact they could have for
my children.
PS I am happy for this letter to be copied to Premier Bracks and members of Cabinet.
Dear Mr Hulls
I am writing to thank you for requesting a review of the existing laws that govern access to assisted reproductive technology and adoption and review of donor insemination in Victoria and how the current laws impact on the diverse families in the community.
The report provided by the Victorian Law Reform Commission that provides recommendations for changes to the existing laws is a positive step forward to removing laws that discriminate and denies access to services and legal protection to families, as diverse families already exist and the laws must change to reflect this and provide legal protection.
In relation to our personal circumstances our family would welcome the recommendations of this report that advise providing legal recognition and equal parenting rights for the non birth mother to parent. The provision of legislation that supports and legally protects our families’ rights is necessary, as the current laws do not act in the best interest of our children. Our son would benefit from having legal recognition of his parents whom both have equal legal responsibility to act on his behalf and birth registration that reflects his family unit and parents regardless of gender.
These recommendations to reform the current legislation in relation to these issues will benefit enormously towards normalizing the diversity of families and provide an opportunity to create social change and acceptance in our community. This is the time for government to act promptly in progressing legal reform and demonstrating strong leadership in implementing legislation that acts consciously towards eliminating discrimination and provides legislation that protects the needs and interests of children and their families.
The recommendation of inclusive access to assisted reproductive services to include lesbian and single women is important to provide choice in how families choose to try and achieve pregnancy as, we have been in the situation of needing to travel interstate to access assisted reproductive technology. However, due the stress, time and financial costs required to continue pursuing this option we choose not to proceed with using assisted reproductive technology to create our family.
We successfully created a family with a known donor and would welcome changes to the law that clearly clarify the legal position of donors in our situation. The recommendation to remove the possible criminal offence if a partner wants to help create a family using donated sperm is necessary; removal of this law will provide legal protection to enact this method of creating a family if this is the choice of the woman and her partner. Removal of this law will provide the opportunity to legally obtain support from a partner or other person of choice in creating or extending a family.
Appropriate changes in legislation provide an opportunity for inclusion and freedom of choice in attempts to create or extend a family. The other recommendations in this report are well considered in responding appropriately that recognize the need to legally protect the health and well being of children created through assisted reproductive technology.
Yours truly
Tracey and Samantha
PS I am happy for this letter to be copied to Premier Bracks and members of Cabinet.
Dear Mr Hulls,
We are writing in regards to the recommendations for Assisted Reproductive Technology made by the Victorian Law Reform Commission.
As a lesbian couple with a daughter, we were so pleased to read the recommendations. In particular we were relieved to read that the Commission accepts that our family deserves the same legal recognition as any other, and that lesbian and gay people can be as good or bad as parents as anyone else. It was wonderful to know that the report wasn’t about trying to fob us off with limited rights, which would created an impression that we are still not quite acceptable. The report gave us hope that in future our child(ren) may not suffer discrimination, and made us feel that we may treated equally as a part of the Victorian community.
For us the road to parenthood has been difficult, and this essentially has been due to the legal system in Victoria. We tried at home to get pregnant with our known donor, all the time worrying about our legal situation and the potential health risks. After two years of failing to get pregnant we then tried to access fertility services. We were told that there had to be a recognisable condition of infertility in order to be provided with fertility services. It was very difficult for us to hear about heterosexual friends, who were essentially in the same situation, simply making an appointment with assisted reproduction services in Victoria. Instead, to access these services Liz was required to undergo unnecessary exploratory surgery for the sole reason to see if she legally qualified. The result was a finding of no infertility problem, and so another year of trying but failing to get pregnant. Finally Liz was allowed on the program, having finally been deemed ‘medically infertile’. IVF, with all of its costs to ourselves and the taxpayer was our only option. We were not given the option of less invasive procedures (such as inter-uterine insemination) because that is only for couples having ‘difficulty getting pregnant’, not women who are “medically infertile”.
We now have a daughter (two years old). She has a supportive extended family and a caring relationship with her biological donor-father. But we still live with everyday worries about the lack of status of Mandy as her non-birth mother, who is not listed as a parent on her birth certificate. This can create difficulties with schools, childcare centres, and in signing consent for medical treatment for our child. Our donor, whose intention was generous one – to help us out (but not become a parent himself) - also worries about the lack of clarity of his own situation – for example, if one/both of us died or if we ended our relationship, would he then become financially and legally responsible for our children?
We gave much consideration to our decision to have children. We asked ourselves whether we could raise a child in a caring and non-discriminatory environment and whether we could provide everything a child needs – support, advice, guidance, a loving family. We felt it was important for our potential child to know its biological heritage, which is partly why we chose not to access an interstate fertility service where our only option would have been an anonymous donor.
We believe we can raise our children to be valuable members of the community. Like other gay and lesbian couples, we think we can offer our children a sense of self-worth, resilience, and respect for others no matter what their background or sexuality. These things are particularly important to gay and lesbian people, as many of us have had to face difficulties and discrimination ourselves. And like any other parents, we want our children to be happy.
This is why we urge the government to accept the recommendations as a whole package. The Law Reform Commission has outlined a simple system to remove discrimination, to recognise legal rights, to minimise health risks, and to protect the best interests of children. It has based these recommendations on the evidence that it is the quality of parenting that matters, not the gender or sexuality of parents. If the recommendations are watered down, it will continue to reinforce the message to our children and to the community that our families do not belong, are not quite good enough, and not to be encouraged.
We really hope that the Victorian government will demonstrate its support for a non-discriminatory, accepting and diverse community by implementing the Law Reform Commission’s recommendations.
Yours sincerely,
Amanda and Liz
PS. Could this letter please be distributed to other members of Cabinet and to the Premier Mr Bracks.
