Sir Elton John's hoped of adopting 14-month-old Ukrainian boy 'Lev' with his partner David Furnish have been dashed by the Ukraine's minister for family affairs, is the Piano Man is too old and not 'traditionally married'. Family hopes dashed: Sir Elton and Lev. Pic: AP The Ukraine's Family, Youth and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko told The Associated Press that adoptive parents must be married - and the country doesn't recognize homosexual unions as marriage. Also, the singer is 62, and Ukrainian law requires a parent to be no more than 45 years older than an adopted child. "Elton John will not be able to adopt a Ukrainian child and if he files that request we will unfortunately deny it," Pavlenko added. "The law is the same for everybody: for a president, for a minister, for Elton John." The news that Sir Elton wanted to adopt a child led to a flurry of debate about gay parenting in UK media. Human Rights Campaigner Peter Tatchell waded in: "Given that David and Elton are an internationally famous gay couple, adopting Lev could help break down ignorance and prejudice concerning gay adoption. They could become role model gay adoptive parents and help raise worldwide awareness about same-sex parenting. "I hope this publicity will encourage more people - gay and straight - to consider adopting a child in need, or to support charities that help support parents who are struggling to cope with their children," he said.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 15th September 2009 - 11:51am