FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS (SURROGACY) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 2 May 2012.)

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:36): I rise very briefly to indicate that the Greens welcome this bill and will be supporting it. We certainly believe that the laws of surrogacy need to address the contemporary society in which we live and as technology changes so should this parliament. I particularly commend the member for Adelaide for bringing this matter to this parliament and I also acknowledge the work of the Hon. John Dawkins in this area.

The bill contains quite common-sense measures of increased recognition where a mother who is unable to carry a pregnancy to term would also be added to the criteria where she would be able to commission surrogacy arrangements. Infertility being defined as simply not being able to conceive rather than acknowledging the realities where a woman might in fact be able to conceive but not carry that pregnancy to its full term, or to give birth without endangering either the child's life or her own life, certainly needs to be addressed.

We commend the member for Adelaide for that and also for working with the Minister for Health to finetune the language. I gather this was carried on the voices in the other place. With that, I commend both the member for Adelaide and the Hon. John Dawkins for bringing these issues to this place and I look forward to further recognition of the diversity of families in this council in the future.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (17:37): It gives me great pleasure to sum up this bill, which some might say is minor, but it is an important provision which improves the original bill and one which, as you and others know, sir, has already been improved in a minor way since we originally passed it through this council late in 2009. I thank the Hon. Tammy Franks for her contribution and her consistency in the area of assisting people who find it difficult to have children to have some other way in which that can be facilitated.

It is important to recognise that the member for Adelaide in another place brought this bill to the House of Assembly and that she got it through in a relatively rapid fashion and on the voices. Having had to endure the great delay that I had with my bill when it was in that august chamber for some 16 months, I am delighted that we have progressed in our attitude to these bills. With those few words, I commend the bill to the house.

Bill read a second time.

Committee Stage

Bill taken through committee without amendment.

Third Reading

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (17:41): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.