Tue 29 Jul 2008 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Green MP Metiria Turei's private member's bill aiming to legalise adoption by same-sex couples has not been withdrawn, but is unlikely to he heard in Parliament before the General Election, says her Executive Assistant. Green MP Metiria Turei "Metiria's still pushing for it as much as she's ever been," Kate Strack assures GayNZ.com. Prime Minister Helen Clark cast doubt on the Bill's progress earlier this month in a speech to the Gay Auckland Business Association. She told the crowd that the Bill had been removed, and added that adoption by gay couples was "a tough issue to tackle, which we must get to at some point." "Metiria's Private Members Bill is still in the Ballot, but has not yet made it onto the Order Paper," Strack explains. "The chances of it reaching the order paper before the election is very unlikely now, because everyone's pushing to have their Private Members' Bills brought up to before the election. But from the Green Party perspective, there is still just as much momentum as there ever has been." Turei's bill was submitted to Parliament two years ago, as under current law, single people - including gays and lesbians - can adopt, but same-sex or unmarried couples cannot.