Adoption policies and discrimination based on sexual orientation in a certain country we know........
Here goes.
Child
welfare
Maria
Woman
Man
Maria goes to the adoption
centre for an interview. Sitting at the table are a woman and a man.
Maria: Good morning.
Woman
+ man: Good
morning.
Maria: I’d like to enquire about
adoption, as I’d very much like to bring up a child and give it loving care, as
if it was my own child.
Woman: Right, well here’s this
leaflet....
Maria: And... I love women, and I’ve
been told things aren’t done the same way here as in Spain, where I come from.
Man: Oh, right, I see.... Would
you like to begin?
Woman: No, you explain it to her.
Man: Right, well... In this
country a woman who loves a man and is married to him can adopt a child and
give it loving care....
Woman: .... and a woman who doesn’t
love either a man or a woman and isn’t married to anyone can also adopt a child
and give it loving care.
Man: And a woman who loves a
woman can also adopt a child and give it loving care. Only she mustn’t love her
partner too much, because if she
marries her partner or has their relationship officially registered, she can’t adopt a child or give it loving
care.
Woman: So, basically, if a woman
loves a woman and they both want to care for a child, they shouldn’t mention
that they love each other. As individuals, both Woman 1 and Woman 2 can adopt a
child and give it loving care. But the law says that Woman 1 and Woman 2 can’t
adopt the same child and give it
loving care, because there are those who say the child would then not get enough loving care.
Man: And of course the same
applies to men.
Woman: In this country we have
equal rights.
Man: But last week the
government very generously decided that a woman who loves a woman and has their
relationship officially registered can
adopt a child and give it loving care, as long as it’s her stepchild and the father
is....
Woman: ....dead....
Man: ....or in jail....
Woman: ....or unknown....
Man: ....or on drugs....
Woman: ....or a pet....
Man: No, that’s different....
Woman: Oh, right.
Man: But to sum up: 1. You can
adopt a child with your partner as long you don’t marry her and you bear the
responsibility alone. 2. You can marry a transsexual who’s a man before the
wedding and a woman after the adoption. In that case both the marriage and the
child will be recognised. In fact, that’s really the only way for a gay couple
in Switzerland to be married with equal rights. 3. You can adopt a child with
your partner if it’s a child of your own. So you have a child of your own, but
then you must....
Woman: ....kill the father....
Man: ....or get him jailed....
Woman: ....or have him registered
as unknown....
Man: ....or get him onto drugs....
Woman: In other words, the
adoption must be conducive to the child’s welfare.
Man: And, according to Swiss law
and the Swiss government, the child’s welfare is best served if the child is
brought up by one woman rather than two.
Woman: Because, according to Swiss
law and the Swiss government, women who love women....
Man: ....and men who love men....
Woman: ....do not love in as
reliable, child-friendly, full, devoted, responsible a way as women who love
men....
Man: ....or men who love women.
Woman: The whole point is love.
Man: Which is strictly screened
for every adoption, straight or gay.
Man: But tell me, how are things
done in Spain?
Pause
Maria: In Spain, anyone who loves
can adopt a child.
