On Wed, 17 Nov 1993, Laura Weber wrote:

> If Denmark and Norway are prohibiting same-sex adoption and artificial
> insemination due to the lack of data on the effects of being raised in a
> same-sex family, what are their laws reguarding single parent households,
> divorce, and other non-nuclear family structures?  Besides, what data
> exists showing the effects of being raised by a nuclear family?!?

In this posting I'm responding to a message from Laura
Weber.I am also giving more specific information about the
Danish and Norwegian partnership laws.

The proposal for a Swedish glb partnership law, that was
presented by a parliamentary committee last week, has raised
some questions on Scandinavian adoption and insemination
legislation. Unfortunately, I in one of my postings wrote,
that same-sex couples will be prohibited from adoption and
insemination. That is NOT the fact. The right to artificial
insemination and adoption are just not INCLUDED in the
proposed partnership law. And I will recommend you to read the
postings I did after the one you are referring to. If you
do'nt have them, please let me know.


I have today been in contact with the Danish and The Norwegian
glb organisations in Copenhagen and Oslo. Here is what they
told me.

DENMARK

When the Danish partnership law was prepared all questions of
glb parentage where kept aside. And the right to artificial
insemination and adoption were not included in the final law.

But, according to the Danish (and Swedish) law it's not
criminal for a lesbian to inseminate herself or to have an
insemination done. Also, it's not crimainal to help a woman
with the actual insemination, if it's not done for money (it's
just that you can't go to a hospital to have it done).

Single heterosexual women can apply for insemination, but the
application of this rigth is rather restrictive.

A parliamentary ethical council is discussing glb rights in
these questions, but have not yet made any recommendations.

The Danish Minister of Health has made a proposal that would
give ALL single women the right to artificial insemination.
But the Christian Democratic party, which is a menber of the
Danish government, said no, and the proposal was withdrawn.

The Danish lgb spokeswoman did believe, that parliament will
be more constructive to glb parental rights in future, but
today it's impossible to predict when Danish gay and lesbians
will have their legal rights to adoption and insemination.


NORWAY

In the Norwegian partnership law the rights to artificial
insemination and adoption are also not included.

Only HETEROSEXUAL and MARRIED couples have access to
artificial insemination. The rigth for HETEROSEXUAL domestic
partners to insemination has been discussed, but without any
conclusion.

According to the Norwegian glb spokeswoman Norway is just in
the beginning phase of discussing glb adoption and
insemination rights.

The Norwegian glb movement is for the moment discussing
strategies for improvement, but as the spokeswoman said "it
will take some years".


Laura, to your question about Danish and Norwegian laws
regarding single parent households, and other non-nuclear
family structures. My answer will be as follows. As long as
you produce your own children, you will have no problems.
There will be laws there taking care of that. And the children 
will not be taken away from you.

But if you are not MARRIED (heterosexual or queer) you will
have problems, when you want to adopt a child or to get
pregnant by artificial insemination.

The Scandinavian parliaments do not seem to be interested in
data showing the effects of being raised by a nuclear family,
but you make a good point.

Bjorn Skolander, University of Uppsala, Sweden
bjorn.skolander@nordiska.uu.se