Did you know single mothers by choice are the largest users of donated sperm and assisted reproductive technology in Australia, yet they are given the least legal protection under the Family Law Act.
This gap also impacts single queer parents, including lesbian and non-binary people who choose to create families on their own. Without clear laws, donors can be recognised as legal parents and claim rights over children, even when everyone agreed that was not their role.
Most donors act with generosity and receive counselling about their responsibilities. But until the law is updated, single parent families are left in a grey zone without the clarity and protection they deserve.
“Reform is long overdue,” says Rainbow Families Equality Director Heather Corkhill. “The Family Law Council recommended changes back in 2013. More than a decade later, the law still hasn’t caught up with the reality of solo parent families.”
It is time to push for legal reform that recognises and protects all family types.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE in The Saturday Paper.
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