The Care of Children Bill, which gives same-sex partners parental rights and responsibilities, was passed by Parliament yesterday 62 - 58, with the Greens backing the Government-sponsored legislation. Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope described the bill as the most significant rewrite of guardianship laws in over 30 years. Green MP Metiria Turei said the old laws failed to recognise the parental status of same-sex partners, even if that person was in a long-term relationship with the mother before, during and after the period during which a child is born. United Future leader Peter Dunne's needle was still stuck in the groove as the catchphrase "social engineering" passed his lips. Cobwebby NZ First MP Dail Jones took the debate into the arena of insulting by describing the bill as "gender-bending".
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 10th November 2004 - 12:00pm