Mr Flynn said the Independent Reviewer was correct to point out that ‘Adoption does not exist primarily for family formation, so the selection of adoptive parents cannot be based on the desire of some people to have children. It must be based on a profound understanding of the rights, needs, best interests and welfare of the child or children’.
“In the light of this starting point, it was insightful of Martin Hamilton-Smith MP to point out, in Parliament, that a child adopted to a same-sex couple might later reflect; ‘I’m really sorry that the system did that to me because I would like to have started from the baseline of having a mother and father, male and female’,” Mr Flynn said.
Mr Flynn said there was no shortage of couples who were waiting for an adopted baby, so there was no need to extend the availability to same-sex couples.
“In 2013-14, South Australia only had 15 adoptions and a long waiting list of men and women couples so there is no reason for the law to change to abolish the requirement for there to be gender diversity in the parenting of orphans,” Mr Flynn said.
ACL appeared before Professor Hallahan in 2015, as part of the South Australian adoption review, submitting evidence establishing that the best interests of children are met by ensuring, wherever possible, that they are raised by a mother and father.
ENDS