Love Makes a Family Campaign
fact #1: Not all children are treated equally under Victorian law.
fact #2: Right now you can help remove this discrimination.
fact #3: It’s love that makes a family!
fact #1: Not all children are treated equally under Victorian law.
In 2002 the Victorian Government asked the Victorian Law Reform Commission to conduct an enquiry into all laws relevant to reproductive technology and adoption, and their impacts on children, including those with same-sex parents.
During its five-year enquiry the Commission reviewed three decades of research and received over 1000 submissions. In June 2007 the Commission reported to the Government that:
- children are in no way disadvantaged by having same-sex parents, only by discriminatory laws and attitudes
- it is quality of parenting, not the sexual orientation or marital status of parents that determines outcomes for children
- children of same-sex parents are disadvantaged by laws that fail to recognise or protect their family relationships, and
- laws preventing same-sex couples and single people from accessing simple fertility procedures like donor insemination are unfair and undermine the health and wellbeing of children.
The Commission made 130 recommendations, including changing the law and birth certificates to recognise same-sex parented families, and removing discriminatory barriers to fertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy for same-sex couples and single people.
To read the report call 8619 8619 or visit www.lawreform.vic.gov.au.
fact #2: Right now you can help remove this discrimination.
Love Makes a Family is a community campaign coordinated by the Rainbow Families Council, supported by the ALSO Foundation and the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby. We work for legal and social recognition of same-sex parented children and their families. So far we have helped motivate and support hundreds of people affected by the laws to have their say in the Commission’s Enquiry.
After years of campaigning for rainbow family law reform, we’re finally on the home stretch. Legislation is due in Victorian Parliament in mid-August 2008. But with both the ALP and Liberals allowing a conscience/free vote on the issue, we urgently need your help to convince every single Member of Parliament (MP) to support reform. We need to win their hearts and minds.
Our job now is to convince all 128 Victorian Members of Parliament that these reforms are needed by children and families, and supported by the broader community. We must show them that this is about real children, real parents and real families.
Everyone can help: lesbian and gay parents and prospective parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, friends and workmates.
The best thing you can do to help is to tell your local MP why you think the laws need to change, and how law reform will affect you and your family. You don’t have to know all the technical details. Just talk about your own story and views.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO TO HELP?
Tell your MP why you think the laws in Victoria need to change. There are two ways to go about it.
Send a Family Photo to your MP
Send a family photo to your MP with a brief message to accompany the photo, telling the MP why law reform is important to you and your family...read more about our Rainbow Family Photo campaign, including sample letters and photos from other families.
Visit Your MP
Visit your MP to discuss the issues in person. We have lots of resources to make it easy to visit your MP. Download the Handy Hints and Cheat Sheet for quick reference, or look through our Information Pack.
You have one lower house Member of Parliament (MLA) for your local electorate, and five upper house Members (MLCs) representing your area. To find them, ring the Victorian Electoral Commission on 13 18 32 or look under “Members” at www.parliament.vic.gov.au.
 MP Visits Handy Hints Sheet | downloads: 388 | type: pdf | size: 333 kB |
How to find your MP, make an appointment, what you might say and FAQs. |
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| MP Visit Cheat Sheet | downloads: 406 | type: pdf | size: 317 kB |
Summary of useful status and facts, including a table with current laws, impacts on children and families and relevant VLRC recommendations. |
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| "Three facts" flyer | downloads: 328 | type: pdf | size: 420 kB |
This plain language flyer explains what discrimination exists in Victoria against children and rainbow families, and how you can help. |
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Now’s the time family and friends can REALLY show their support. Encourage them to visit their MPs, or go together.
In August and September, the campaign is targeting the 20 ALP Members of Parliament who are Ministers in the Victorian Government. 206 towns and suburbs are represented by Ministers, click here to find out if you live in one that is - we need you!
Collect signatures for a Parliamentary Petition supporting reform
Here's another easy way to support the campaign. Fiona Richardson, Member for Northcote, has put together a Parliamentary Petition supporting reform. Please download the petition, collect signatures and send back to Fiona.
fact #3: It’s love that makes a family!
In 2007 there is no denying that Australian families are diverse. There are children living across Victoria with same-sex parents. It’s in their best interests to have certainty about their parents’ legal status, and for all parents to be subject to the usual responsibilities. Discriminatory laws do not stop people from creating loving homes and families. They simply undermine the rights of the children who live in our rainbow families. After all, it’s love that makes a family!
CAMPAIGN NEWS
Victorian Attorney General launches final VLRC Report |
| Posted by Sarah Marlowe (sarah) on Jul 09 2007 at 10:31 PM |
The Victorian Law Reform Commission launched the final report and recommendations of its Enquiry into Assisted Reproductive Technology and Adoption at Parliament House on 7 June 2007. The Report was officially launched on 21 June by Attorney General Rob Hulls, with many rainbow families in attendance!
Rainbow Families Council and the Love Makes a Family campaign welcome the report as a very positive step towards recognising the rights of same-sex parented children, their families and same-sex and single prospective parents. We urge the Victorian Government to turn the recommendations into legislation as soon as practicable.
A brief summary of the key recommendations for rainbow families and prospective parents follows:
- access to Assisted Reproductive Technology for lesbian and single women
- adoption ("stranger") opened up to same sex couples and gay or lesbian single people
- second parent adoption available to gay men who have accessed surrogacy and for same sex couples whose relationships start after children have been born.
- recognition of non birth mother through simple means of changing the birth certificate and recommendations also supporting this for families with existing children before the law is changes.
- clarification that a donor is not a father (even if a Known Donor is used through a clinic or in home insemination)
- birth certificates to change to allow you to give the option of listing ‘parents’ instead of ‘mother’ or ‘father’ so 2 mums or 2 dads can be named.
- decriminalise home insemination and recommends that children conceived this way not to be treated differently in terms of parentage.
- gay men as known donors or identity-release clinic donors should only be asked questions relating to identifiable risk factors for STIs relevant to the process, not about their sexuality or sexual practices.
- The current six-month quarantine period for sperm storage should be changed to reflect current medical knowledge about risk factors.
- Clinic donors should not be permitted to specify the characteristics of unknown recipients of their donations ie should not be permitted to stop lesbians or single women being the recipients of their donations.
- Altruistic (non-commercial) surrogacy to be made available including for gay men who have a friend as a surrogate.
- The law should be changed to reflect that children may have two parents of the same sex.
You can read and download the executive summary and full report with its 130 recommendations on the Victorian Law Reform Commission website, or ring 03 8619 8619 to request that a hard copy be mailed to you.
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- Be the news: telling our stories to create change
Sharing our stories through the mainstream and community media is a powerful way to break down stereotypes, change attitudes and help change the law. We provide information, contacts and resources to support you to speak out, tell your story and create change.
