Currently the Civil Partnership Act 2004 does not permit the adoption of children by same sex couples here thanks to a prohibition on adoption for couples in a civil partnership by the Stormont Assembly, unlike in other areas of the UK.

In reply to a case taken by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, John Larkin QC this week said that UK law shouldn’t influence legislation here and apparently there are no plans to retract the ban, as according to the QC the adoption laws are to ensure the welfare of the child rather than satisfy the wishes of would be parents.

The case continues but it would seem that our local assembly wouldn’t be the most sympathetic to any request for adoption from my husband and I!

It does raise the question though, would children brought up in a loving same sex relationship family be at a disadvantage over children who aren’t. I’m not convinced. In fact I know several gay and lesbian couples who have children of their own from previous marriages who live with them and try as hard as I can, I can’t see them as being that much different as any other child from any mother and father based family. The only difference I can see is that the children in these relationships are more likely to be open minded than others and surely this is a good thing.

I think it’s all a red herring really. Yes there are bad parents out there but presumably the adoption application process is there to weed them out before they get the chance to adopt whether they are gay or straight.

Life is not black and white. There are many children out there with only one parent through split ups or death and many children being looked after by grandparents or other family members in the absence of their own parents for whatever reason who are getting on just fine. Children with gay or lesbian parents are just another scenario. As the Beatles once said … All you need is love!