BELGIUM: Belgian Parliament continue debate on controversial bill allowing homosexual couples to adopt children

Record ID: 278110

  • Title: BELGIUM: Belgian Parliament continue debate on controversial bill allowing homosexual couples to adopt children
  • Date: 2nd December 2005
  • Summary: LAS: PEOPLE ENTERING PARLIAMENT
  • Embargoed: 17th December 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2Z2CIQX5P3VOBD4QZL9W43T9B
  • Story Text: Belgian lawmakers were still discussing on Thursday night (December 1) a controversial bill allowing homosexual couples to adopt children.
    The bill should give same-sex couples the right to adopt children both from within Belgium and abroad, making the country the third in the European Union to give equal rights in this respect, after Sweden and Spain.
    Lawmakers said they approved the bill in order to give the children of homosexual couples the same rights to inheritance and succession that children of heterosexual couples enjoy. In a Belgium famous for its progressist laws, on euthanasia, gay marriage, but also on the depenalisation of cannabis consumption, this issue had raised a resonnable debate which should find its conclusion this night.
    Belgium's political parties are divided over the adoption of such advanced legislation. Socialists and ecologists will vote for and conservative parties mainly against. But political divisions are outpassed by an ideological fight.
    The interest of the child was the main issue in the debate.
    Melchior Wathelet, from Humanist democrat center party, was against the proposal. He gave his own vision of child interest.
    "And that is always in the eyes of the child in which we have to put ourselves, the interest of the child that must guide our reflections. The interest of the child to have this first confrontation with this first difference, that is the difference of sex, (this difference) is the beginning of filiation, the founding of filiation. That is why we will vote against this proposition today," Whatelet said.
    The far right party, Vlaams Belang, also firmly opposed the bill. Bert Schoofs, deputy of the Vlaams Belang, said that this bill is another madness of the government and that Vlaams Belang defend traditional family model.
    "We estimate that the traditional family composed of one mother and one father offers better guarantees for childrens' education and we maintain our position. It is this form of couple that must be protected in the right and must be protected in the society," Schoofs said.
    The debate was animated at times.
    When Bert Schoofs said that there were no studies about psychological consequences of children living in same sex couples, a deputy responded immediately :
    "Even in Belgium, some studies of this kimd exist. I am a little bit surprised that you didn t want to read them. Because finally that is all what it's about," the deputy said.
    The bill will pass into law once it wins the Senate's approval.
    Adoption by same-sex couples is legal in Sweden, and Spain. In the Netherlands, same-sex couples may only adopt children from within the country. Germany and Denmark allow adoption by homosexuals of their partner's natural child.
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