In Landmark Ruling, Singapore HC Allows Gay Couple To Legally Adopt Their Son

In a landmark judgement, Singapore High Court has ruled in favour of a gay man who sought to adopt his biological son, whom he fathered through a surrogate. This judgement overruled a 2017 order, which said that he could not legally adopt his son, as he was born via in-vitro fertilisation in the United States- a process not allowed in Singapore.

“We attribute significant weight to the concern not to violate the public policy against the formation of same-sex family units on account of its rational connection to the present dispute and the degree to which this policy would be violated should an adoption order be made,” Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said, reported ABC News.

Eligible to be Singapore’s citizen

Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Singapore and gay sex is illegal. The child was considered illegitimate in the eyes of law as the biological mother and father were not married. This judgement, not only gives legal parental rights to the couple but also make the child eligible for Singapore’s citizenship.

The mother of the four-year-old waived all parental rights during surrogacy. The egg donor was never identified. The 46-year-old man, who has been with his partner for the last 13 years, will now have legal rights over the child.

Singapore allows adoption to singles and married couples. As Singapore does not recognise homosexual relationships, couples have to apply individually for adoption rights. Last year, the judgement said that he cannot adopt the child because of the ethics of commercial surrogacy.

“Our decision should not be taken as an endorsement of what the appellant and his partner set out to do,” said Chief Justice Sunderesh Menon in his judgement. He further said that there was “significant weight” put towards the concern that the ruling would “not violate the public policy against the formation of same-sex family units”.

The judgement is important as Singapore’s colonial-era law bans oral or anal sex between consenting homosexuals. A similar law was overturned in India a few days back. British Prime Minister Theresa May apologised for the legal legacy at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London this year.

Also Read: “Learning Is Not A Competition”: Singapore Will No Longer Rank Students By Exam Results

Contributors

Written by : Poorbita Bagchi

Edited by : Poorbita Bagchi

Share Your Thoughts..

614SHARES

Share on FacebookTweet on Twitter

Related Stories

PARTNER STORY

Life Doesn’t Come With A Manual But It Comes With A Mother

Propelled by

All Out®

I Didnt Know

It is often said that “Life doesn’t come with a manual, but it comes with a mother,” and we couldn’t agree more. Motherhood is a beautiful journey to embark upon, but not an easy one to tread as there are challenges and hurdles to deal with, along the way. For centuries there has been an unspoken social norm of mothers having to be responsible for all their child does – everything from nurturing to making sure that the baby grows up to be socially responsible and successful.

With its latest campaign, All Out® takes a powerful stand for mothers who are strong enough to acknowledge that they don’t know everything and are helping other Indian moms become more aware and vigilant against the threat of dengue. With the premise that one mother’s acceptance has the power to fire up other moms to be more vigilant, the campaign says that it takes a special kind of strength to admit #IDidntKnow / #MujheSabNahiPata.

In the campaign film, we see Kirti, who like many moms is strong and conditioned to believe that “Mothers know everything”. Alas, social conditioning notwithstanding, she did not expect a mosquito could change all her beliefs. Unaware of the fact that mosquito which causes dengue can breed even in clean water, Kirti is seen breaking down while accepting #MujheSabNahiPata / #IDidntKnow when her son’s life is endangered by the deadly disease. The film also sees, celebrity mother Sonali Bendre encouraging mothers to push aside the pressures of having to know it all and share their experiences to help prepare other mothers.

Through the campaign, the brand is urging mothers across the country to share their #IDidntKnow / #MujheSabNahiPata stories and help other vigilant parents become more aware of the wellbeing and protection of their children.

Please share your story using #IDidntKnow / #MujheSabNahiPata, if you think that your story can encourage and better prepare other mothers to take care of their children.

.