I am astounded that there has been little debate over Labour's proposal to allow homosexual couples to adopt children.
Ideally, every child should have a Mum and a Dad. Those who do not have that soon realise that they have missed something. This is the way we were created, or evolved, whichever one chooses to believe.
Adoption is a very formal process. How many of us would like to have two same sex names on our Birth Certificates which are there forever? Whatever your answer, the key point is that our society should not expose any child to the potential downside of being so different.
For the State to formally allow a young child to be brought up in a homosexual relationship is to deny that child its basic human expections. In addition, our litigious society will expose the Government to a scenario akin to the stolen generations of Australia, or the British orphans.
The argument that a single person can adopt, so why not homosexual couples is fallacious. A 'missing” parent is part of a very natural process in life. However, that scenario is obviously less than ideal.
Labour's proposal takes social engineering too far.

Bill Capamagian, Tauranga.