95% against gay adoption for Northern Ireland

The Christian Institute today expressed its dismay at the Government’s plans to extend joint adoption by homosexuals to Northern Ireland. It is currently the only part of the UK where such adoption is unlawful.

Almost all those who responded to the Government’s NI consultation were against the proposal. The official report of the consultation shows that 95% of respondents did not want the law to change to allow homosexual couples to adopt.

The plans will deliberately deny a child either a mother or a father. If two men adopt, the child has no mother; if two women adopt, the child has no father.

Reacting to today’s news, The Christian Institute’s Northern Ireland Officer, Callum Webster, said:

“The Government is showing amazing contempt for the people of Northern Ireland. The minister may say he is ‘sensitive to the strength of feeling people have on the proposal’ but in fact he has just stuck his fingers in his ears.

“The consultation process was clearly a sham – 95% of respondents opposed gay adoption, but ministers carry on regardless, dictating political correctness to the people of Northern Ireland.

“Vulnerable children are to be used as political pawns to promote gay rights. The majority of European countries do not allow joint adoption by homosexuals. Even some countries with partnership schemes for homosexuals don’t allow registered partners to adopt.

“Children need a mother and a father. All reliable studies show that a married mother and father is best for children. Most research backing same-sex parenting is merely propaganda parading as evidence. Gay adoption puts gay rights over and above the best interests of children.”

If the law is changed, then religious adoption agencies in Northern Ireland could face closure because of separate new gay discrimination laws. The Northern Ireland Sexual Orientation Regulations came into force on 1 January but are subject to a judicial review in the High Court on 1-2 March. The Christian Institute and denominations representing 15,000 people in Northern Ireland are suing the Government because the consultation process was fundamentally flawed and the laws breach religious liberty. A religious adoption agency which refused to place children with homosexual couples could face closure under the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

“In the USA the Scouts had to spend huge sums of money (thought to be $1million) defending hostile legal actions from gay rights activists. It looks like Government will allow religious charities to face these sorts of legal actions in the UK.

“Christians were pioneers in adoption. For years they have been quietly finding good homes for vulnerable children. Now all religious adoption agencies are being threatened with closure all because they are not politically correct. It is the children who will suffer. I fear so will the elderly.”