In a motion pushed through by the dominant Socialist/Left wing majority, the law that will allow gay couple to adopt now nears formal legislation.
The matter has been voted on before, but the past four votes were defeated - today’s therefore marks a significant victory for gay rights pressure groups.
The caretaker coalition allowed its MPs a free vote but in fact all had agreed to vote against the proposal. When the vote was taken, 19 PSD members voted for the proposal to become legislation, including the former Justice Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz who hitherto had been against the move.
The Left Bloc and Socialist alliance voted through four initiatives all with the same goal, with MP Heloisa Apolonia commenting that, "good and bad families do not depend on the sexual orientation of their members."
The Left Bloc said it is the right of all men and women to put themselves forward to adopt children, with MP Sandra Cunha adding, "It's a chance to make history, to overcome prejudices, for the law to treat same-sex couples the same as opposite-sex couples."
"All citizens are free and equal before the law. Sexual orientation cannot be subject to discrimination unless there is a convincing explanation, worthy of consideration and proportional to the inherent limitation of rights. It is now clear that the obligation of the democratic State is to ensure equal access for adoption to couples regardless of gender or sexual orientation," read the socialist proposal passed today ami cheering and clapping in the national assembly.
The draft laws, although approved, now will be analysed by experts before undergoing a final vote in parliament.
Comments
Ed
Arnold - not Arnie.
Ironically (!) you failed to answer my questions.
As for trolling, it looks pretty clear (from your babbling on here) that's your speciality. Keep up the poor work - it gives the rest of us something to wonder at.
Yet the UK leads Europe in this area ! As in so many 'Freedoms' - and without a Constitution !
In ILGA-Europe's 2015 review of LGBTI rights, the UK received the highest score in Europe, with 86% progress toward "respect of human rights and full equality" for LGBT people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_Kingdom
So, if the logic follows that a heterosexual couple is 'naturally' better than a same sex one then single parents, almost all never intending a lifestyle choice - also come into the firing line.
Should they be regularly checked by child protection specialists that they are in suitable mixed gender relationship and if between a relationship for more than a fortnight, with no end in sight - have their children re-possessed ? Until they get teamed up again ?
Surely common sense tells us that a same sex couple of contented long standing, ideally financially secure, is a 1000 times better environment to grow up in than children resulting from casual flings inside and outside of relationships. Or those surviving their parents unhappy marriages.
Who said irony was dead? Go and troll somewhere else Arnie
i'm really interested to know why you might suggest I could possibly be a racist ... and who are 'we'?
I agree with you 100% Greg. I am not homophobic, I am heterosexual; with gay family members and gay friends; in fact my immediate neighbours in Portugal are also a gay couple who are good friends of mine. Furthermore, one of the individuals I took into partnership in my former business was gay. Me homophobic? I think not.
However I vehemently disagree with gay couple adoption rights for the exact reason put forward by you Greg. This is putting rights of adults ahead of rights of children and is fundamentally wrong. Frankly, I don't care how many countries have approved gay adoption Arnold. Since when were politicians always right?
Btw Arnold, perhaps we should suggest you are a racist?
I'm not homophobic at all. I just think that the government should be addressing poverty, immigration and terrorism before gay adoption.
You obviously have different priorities.
(Moonshine, washing line?)
What I find depressing is the ad hominem criticism of other people expressing sincere views which may be contentious. Very much to the contrary, I am encouraged that people are prepared to give their own views by exercising their freedom of speech.
What has Portugal done to deserve (British?) commentators with such bizarre and homophobic worldviews?
23 countries approved gay adoption before Portugal got round to it, but 'better late than never.'