The welfare of a child is a “paramount consideration” when making any decision that may affect them. This fundamental principle is formalised by the Family Law Act 1957 (‘FLA’), echoing the re-quirements of the Convention of the Rights of the Child to give children a voice in court…

A British court has found that a mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy was not a criminal offence, and so has denied a damages claim made on behalf of her disabled daughter. However, this poses obvious ethical dilemmas, particularly appertaining to the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on the child…

Let’s hope that unlike the Family Court, the Department for Child Protection can protect both these children without resorting bizarre ideologies on child welfare that can ultimately forget that children are also part of families…

The New South Wales Health Minister and Attorney-General have taken opposing sides over proposed legislation to change the legal definition of an unborn child. MPs will be allowed a conscience vote on the private member’s bill, which is designed to allow criminal liability for the death of a foetus that is at least 20 weeks old. Currently, charges can only be laid over the injury or death of the mother…

A Family Court judge has awarded a man equal shared parental responsibility of a two-year-old boy he fathered as a sperm donor, in a landmark ruling. The decision was handed down despite despite Victorian law stating that sperm donors are not to be considered the father, because the father and child had already formed a bond with the approval of the mother…

A decision on whether to give people conceived from sperm donors clues about their genetic origin on a separate page of their birth certificate has been shelved by the NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell. Donor-conception support groups said people had a …..