A court in
Northern Ireland has ruled in favour of unmarried heterosexual couples and
same-sex couples being able to adopt children. I was asked by the Breakfast
Show on Newstalk about the ruling. Labour TD, Anne Ferris was also on the show.

I explained
that I believe there are certain circumstances in which a same-sex couple could
adopt children, for example, where the only alternative is an orphanage. I
notice this remark is now being reported on some websites, but without my
elaboration.

What I also
believe, and what I said on the show, is that when a child is available for
adoption, preference must be given to properly assessed married men and women
over other applicants.

This is in
recognition of a child’s right to the love of a mother and a father, where
possible.

When it is
not possible to place a child with a loving, married mother and father, then
other applicants must be considered, including single people, or two sisters for that matter, because it is very rarely in the interests
of a child to be left in an institution.

Does
permitting adoption by same-sex couples necessitate changing the definition of
marriage? No, because leaving marriage as a gendered (as distinct from a
gender-neutral) institution recognises the real differences between men and
women, and mothers and fathers, and reinforces the message it is preferable that
children have the love of both a mother and a father.

Incidentally,
Anne Ferris would not acknowledge this point at all.