The new government plans to change surrogacy laws, despite an election promise to the contrary.

The Queensland Attorney General, the Honourable Jarrod Bleijie said last week in Parliament:

“I can also advise the House tonight that the government will be changing the surrogacy laws in the future. We will be introducing amendments similar to those introduced by the honourable member for Southern Downs when he was the shadow minister. We will be repealing the provisions in the Surrogacy Act that deal with same-sex couples, de factos of less than two years and singles. That was a clear commitment given many years ago when that original debate took place. The government will proceed to amend the Surrogacy Act.

What we are also going to deal with is the other issue that that bill dealt with and that is parentage presumptions and parentage orders. Honourable members will recall at the time that the member for Southern Downs supported two lesbian women, who had a natural birth, both having parentage orders. I make it absolutely clear that going forward the government will be amending the provisions around altruistic surrogacy and the Surrogacy Act to repeal the provisions with respect to same-sex couples, de factos of less than two years and singles. That is the policy position we took years ago when we debated the Surrogacy Act.”

The Attorney General refers in his speech to the previous debate surrounding Surrogacy and the views held by Lawrence Sringborg back in 2009.

The current legislation states that regardless of a person’s relationship status, they can enter into a surrogacy arrangement.   An intended parent may be a person in a same sex relationship or as part of a de facto couple or a single person.

The amendments discussed above will completely exclude same sex couples and/or those in de facto relationships for less than two years and single people from entering into a surrogacy arrangement.

Premier Campbell Newman provided assurances just days before the March election that there would not be any change to the Surrogacy laws introduced by the previous Labor government. In his defence, Mr Bleijie said Mr Newman was not completely across the issue at the time of making that promise.

What do Queenslanders think?

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