Opposition parties are taking credit for an amendment to a clumsily-worded line in the proposed Care of Children Bill, calling it a "victory for common sense". The first draft of the gay-friendly bill had Christian-tinged party United Future particularly upset, as they said it was creating “lesbian fathers” with a line which read that refernces to the “father” of a child would also include the "same-sex de facto partner of the mother of the child". At the time the bill was introduced, Associate Justice Minister Lianne Dalziel said that this was just a drafting technique and the government would be happy to amend the line, which will now be changed to use the word "parent" when referring to a lesbian couple. United Future MP Murray Smith was among those basking in the victory yesterday. “Dads are dads and it's going to stay that way,” he said, adding that significant changes still had to be made to the bill before his party would consider supporting it.