Depriving children of biological identity

For broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 9 June 2013.

Queensland family doctor David van Gend is one of those people either loved or loathed, depending on your view of religion and morality.  He has often been in the media spotlight as President of the Australian Marriage Forum, defending natural marriage against alternatives.

This week he published an opinion piece in The Australian, claiming that same sex marriage is wrong because “marriage is a compound right including the right to found a family … [and] any child created artificially within the ‘marriage’ of two men must miss out on a mother.”

Dr van Gend also pointed out that Kevin Rudd’s recent about-face on marriage falters on the same principle.  He says, “How ironic that Rudd, the author of the apology to the stolen generation, should endorse this new way of forcing children to live without their mother which will, in due course, need its own apology.”

Strong words, not used lightly, that deserve our careful consideration.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.