Lesbian fertility bill passes hurdle

(AAP) Victorian MPs have voted to allow lesbians, single women and infertile couples greater access to fertility treatment in a historic sitting of parliament.

The lower house on Thursday night voted 47-34 in support of the contentious Assisted
Reproductive Treatment (ART) bill, which will now be scrutinised in the upper house.
All Coalition members voted against the bill, together with four Labor MPs,
including Sports and Recreation Minister James Merlino.
The vote was taken just before 6pm (AEDT) after a marathon three-day debate.
If passed by the Legislative Council, the legislation will grant single and lesbian
women access to reproductive treatment, including IVF, and give gay partners and
parents of surrogate children greater parenting rights.
The laws - which were subject to a conscience vote - will also remove the
infertility requirement placed on a surrogate mother seeking treatment on behalf of
a commissioning parent.
More than 50 amendments were lodged against the bill in a bid to water down the
legislation but none succeeded.
The public gallery cheered as the final vote was counted.
Among those celebrating was Rainbow Families Council spokeswoman Felicity Marlowe,
who has a two-month-old daughter Maude and lives in a same-sex relationship.
"What we've seen is a really sensible debate, unfortunately of course there are some
people who have very diverse views about what a real family is or what constitutes
good parenting but overall we've seen a really positive outcome," Ms Marlowe said.
"For families like mine that are same sex parented families it would mean better
legal certainty for our children about who our parents are, better legal obligations
for their non-birth parents and more rights bestowed upon them.
"What we'd be really wanting to see is that people understand that the spirit of
this bill is that the rights and best interests of children are upheld and we
believe that voting in favour of it in the upper house will ensure that our children
are not second class citizens."
Attorney-General Rob Hulls said the legislation was good reform and he praised MPs
and parliamentary staff for their conduct during a long and difficult sitting.
"When we're dealing with social reform and particularly, obviously, conscience
votes, there are always passionate views that are held on both sides of the house,"
he told parliament.
"I fully understand that and I just want to say that everyone's conducted themselves
very well and appropriately and I think that ... this is very good reform."
Earlier on Thursday, the house resisted moves by Labor MP Marlene Kairouz to remove
a clause from the bill which would help women use their dead partner's sperm to
conceive.
Under the posthumous use of gametes (sperm and eggs) clause, a woman can conceive
with her dead partner's sperm, providing she had his prior written consent.
A man could use his partner's eggs to implant an embryo in a surrogate mother, with
consent.
Ms Kairouz, who voted against the bill, said the laws were macabre, arguing that
children had a right to have two "living, loving parents".
"Bringing a child into the world without ever having the opportunity to meet both
its parents shows disregard for its wellbeing, its needs and dignity," she told
parliament.
"In today's culture, procreation using a dead person's gametes is not considered to
be the norm and is not widely accepted."
Mr Hulls rejected the amendment, saying that including the posthumous use of gametes
clause in the legislation would better regulate the practice, which was not outlawed
in Victoria.
Labor MPs Christine Campbell and George Seitz also voted against the bill.