LEGISLATION IS needed to deal with the practical realities of children living in same-sex relationships, a leading family lawyer has said.
Speaking at a conference on the experiences of children with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender parents yesterday, Geoffrey Shannon said there were issues that may be rendering the children of same-sex couples vulnerable.
These included that the parent who was not the legal guardian, had no right to sign a school consent form or passport application, and could not consent to medical treatment for that child.
The Voices of Children conference, held in Dublin, was organised by Marriage Equality, a group that had been lobbying for civil marriage for gay and lesbian people. It centred on a report, Voices of Children, which documented for the first time the experiences of children growing up in Ireland with gay or bisexual parents.
One of the participants described how his school did not allow him to go home with his non-biological mother when he was sick. Another participant said she was not allowed to visit her non-biological mother in hospital.
