NSW Premier Kristina Keneally has reportedly said she would support the same-sex adoption bill before her government, as Cardinal George Pell restated his "grave concerns" over the proposed legislation.
Cardinal Pell was a co-signatory to a recent letter to all State MPs, urging them to reject the bill and to ensure that the right of every child to know the love and care of a father and a mother continued to be reflected in the Adoption Act, said The Catholic Weekly.
The letter from church leaders said the Act in its present form placed the needs of the child above the desires and preferences of adults.
Cardinal Pell said the Parliament should be mindful of the fact that a petition to Parliament by 8700 people, and a majority of similar submissions to the inquiry into the proposal, all supported the right of children to be raised by a mother and father.
Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Premier, speaking yesterday during a parliamentary debate on the same-sex adoption bill, said she had considered the gospel, her observations of same sex parents and her own experiences of parental love both as a child and a mother.
"In considering all of that, I must, in my conscience, support this legislation," she told parliament.
Ms Keneally said the bill goes to core beliefs about how families are formed and children are raised.
"It requires us to consider views, that will either be in conflict, or in congruence, with our values and beliefs, which are formed by our personal experiences, and are therefore deeply held," she said.
"As Members of Parliament, we all make judgments about what is in the best interest of the communities we represent," she said.
"But this task carries additional complexity and weight, when considering those who are unable to speak for themselves.
"In this case, those people are children."
FULL STORY
'Grave concerns' at same sex adoption (The Catholic Weekly)
Keneally supports same sex adoption (Sydney Morning Herald)
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KLHint on Flickr
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