AUSTRALIA: State Of New South Wales Approves Gay Adoption

Today the legislature of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, narrowly approved adoption rights for same-sex couples. Sydney is the state capital.

Members of the New South Wales state parliament voted 46-44 in favour of removing discriminatory clauses in the Adoption Act. In two other jurisdictions, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, gay adoption is already legal. The debate on the bill lasted four days and drew a crowd of 200 protestors to Sydney’s Parliament House. David Clarke, who led the protest, argued that his supporters were not motivated by their religious creed. “This has nothing to do with religion,” he said. “This is about morality and this is about the rights of children.” Devout Catholic Kristina Keneally, the premier of New South Wales, supported the bill. “In forming my position on this bill, I have considered my experiences as a mother, my responsibilities as a parliamentarian and my conscience as a Christian and member of the Catholic faith,” she said.

This is the second win for LGBT rights in Australia this week. On Monday the island state of Tasmania recognized same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.