- Title: BELGIUM: Parlaiament to decide on same sex couples adoption law
- Date: 2nd December 2005
- Summary: CU: BOXES READING IN FRENCH "FOR THE FAMILY"
- Embargoed: 17th December 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Belgium
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Legal System
- Reuters ID: LVA1U3S1JG3RMASY8CPQD9K8G936
- Story Text: Belgium's parliament will on Thursday (December 1) decide whether same sex couples can adopt children. A controversial issue, even in a country like Belgium, known for its rather liberal legislation. The debate, if passionate, has remained polite and to date, the issue of the vote is uncertain.
Christian groups are firmly opposed to the project since Belgium's Catholic bishops announced their opposition to plans to legalize adoption by same-sex couples, two years after the country legalized same-sex marriage.
"This perspective is profoundly worrying to us," the bishops conference said in a statement.
"Action Family" is a Catholic movement involved in a fight against the law. Activists demonstrated in front of the Parliament last Tuesday (November 29) and submitted to the parliament a petition with about 22, 400 signatures of people opposing the bill.
One of the demonstrator, Luc Borkes, said Action Family was not against homosexuals, but against homosexual adoption.
"We have 22 000 signatures of citizens who are not against homosexuals. They respect homosexuals. They have all respect for homosexuals people. But we want to stress that in our opinions there is no such thing as the right to adopt." Borkes said.
One of 'Action Family" leaders, Pierre-Alexandre de Maere said that their worry was mainly that a same sex couple is not a good family model for children.
"Children nowadays have to keep up pace with an ever-faster-moving world, a world that is not easy and in which human relations are not self-evident," de Maere said.
"If on top of that, children have to face a situation that is not normal..., it is one more hurdle for the child to take." he said
The gay community in Belgium usually feels comfortable with its status in the country. Belgium was a pionneer when it legalised the right for homosexual couple to marry in January 2003, long before Spain (July 2005) or the UK (December 2005).
Frederic and Benoit have lived as a couple in Brussels for over four years. They own a comfortable appartment and cannot imagine their life without the possibilty of having children.
For them, the issue of the vote is crucial as they want to start a family later.
"I would simply say, perhaps in ten years - we wil be together for 14 years - I will probably want to adopt a kid, and at that moment, when I will feel a need, like a woman feels a need to procreate. I really hope that you can then say in Belgium: I want to adopt, what do I need to do?"
"A child that now at this given moment goes to school and has to face the consequences of having 2 daddies or 2 mummies, for the moment that is impossible, that is too difficult. I don't want to complicate unnecessarily the child's life."
The vote is due to take place later on Thursday. Socialists and ecologists will vote for the bills, while conservative parties are expected to oppose it. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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