Childrens Bill sadly flawed
Cheryllyn Dudley, MP

The ACDP is already on record as saying that we will be voting against the Children’s Bill.

The Children’s Bill currently being debated contains important measures to deal with issues such as trafficking of children, abduction and adoption. But the Bill is flawed in ways the ACDP believes will increase the vulnerability of our children.

The lowering of the age of consent to 12-years-old, with regard to medical and surgical treatment, places an unfair burden on children. Termination of Pregnancy without parental consent at 12-years-old was made possible in the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) Act and this Bill just confirms this shocking reality.

Another flaw in this Bill is its protection of surrogate mothers who choose to abort an unborn child regardless of the fact that loving parents and a loving home await the arrival of the child.

Once this Bill becomes an Act provision of contraceptives to 12-year-olds also becomes law. A study in the UK pointed out that an increase in access to family planning clinics did not decrease pregnancy but in fact increased them in some instance. The added risk of contracting HIV/AIDS cannot be ignored

The Bill furthermore confirms court findings which legalized the adoption of children by same sex couples. Our children should not be guinea pigs in social experiments promoting a “homosexual agenda”.

The positive aspects of this Bill are undermined by these glaring flaws. On these grounds the ACDP is forced to vote against it.