The suitability of straight couples to conceive and raise children is never questioned, says an editorial in the Hawkes Bay Today newspaper. Commenting on the controversy surrounding a gay male couples application for ethics approval to have a surrogate child, the paper says "while some [people] wrestle with the philosophical and moral questions the gay couple`s hopes raise, the frightful damage wreaked on children that is sanctioned by the institution of conventional marriage remains impervious to prevention and treatment."