Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

There is a major caring crisis facing us. People are having fewer children, while adults have less time for caring duties, both child care and elder care. The Government responds positively to these challenges. A society that encourages more committed family units is a better one. Family units have moved beyond the traditional and reflect modern life. This includes same-sex family units.

We must overcome difficulties which same-sex couples meet in the recognition of their loving relationships. They need to be treated equally in taxation, inheritance, welfare, pension and next of kin matters. There are controversial matters which need to be debated such as adoption. I am not afraid of that debate because we should always remember that children need good parents. Good parents are not ordained by their sexual orientation but are adults who love, care, educate and provide for their children. We should never close off the opportunity of providing that environment for any of our children. Same-sex couples can provide that environment, despite the reluctance of some parties in the House to acknowledge this. I hope this issue is taken on urgently by the Government which should bear the welfare of children of same-sex partnerships in mind in any legislation it proposes. If the natural child of a person in a same-sex partnership loses his or her parent through death, I cannot see the justice in requiring that he or she should also lose the right to be cared for by his or her parent's partner who has also reared him or her. I cannot see how we as legislators would want any child to lose the two people who have loved and raised him or her. Registered same-sex partners should have the right to adopt the natural child of one of the partners, if this is in the best interests of the child.

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