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Jacinda Ardern on Breakfast - Source: Breakfast -
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Gay rights is set to stay in the political spotlight after a bill outlining significant changes to New Zealand's adoption laws was drawn from the member's ballot.
Labour MP Jacinda Ardern's Care of Children Law Reform Bill, which would give same sex couples the opportunity to adopt, will soon come before Parliament.
Ardern said the purpose of the Bill was to modernise New Zealand's antiquated and discriminatory adoption laws which date back to 1952.
Under current laws, only a single person or spouses are permitted to adopt and have a legal relationship with the child.
"The Bill would also have the effect of removing discrimination and inconsistencies in our current law.
"Currently a gay individual can adopt a child, a gay couple can't," said Ardern.
"A de facto heterosexual couple can adopt, but a civil union heterosexual couple can't. This makes no sense and needs to be fixed."
The Bill comes less than 24 hours after Labour MP Louisa Wall's Marriage Amendment Bill passed its first hurdle in Parliament with 80 MPs voting in favour and 40 against.
The Bill now faces a select committee and then two further votes to pass into law.
Ardern's Bill was one of four randomly picked today.
Also up for consideration will be Te Ururoa Flavell's Oaths and Declarations Amendment Bill, Darien Fenton's Local Government Amendment Bill and Scott Simpson's Land Transport Amendment Bill.