The parents, of Slovak Roma origin, had asked that the children be adopted by a Catholic family.

The parents' four children were taken into care in Kent last year.

Social workers found the children were dirty, unkempt and overly chastised, and the older ones were not going to school.

The father admitted to having beaten his children.

But a court found they were unwilling to change their parenting or accept criticism.

So the two youngest boys, aged two and four, were put up for adoption by court order.

Mrs Justice Theis, who made the initial order, said that any adoption placement should be "sensitive to their needs and identity".

But the parents argued the plan by the Kent County Council to place the boys with a gay couple did not fulfil this.

The parents said the adopters' lifestyle was contrary to their Roma culture and the adoption plan amounted to social engineering.

They also said the adoption could cause psychological harm for the boys later in life because of the clash between their birth culture and the lifestyle of the adopting couple.

"The children will not be able to be brought up in the Catholic faith because of the conflicts between Catholicism and homosexuality," the parents continued.

But the High Court upheld the adoption plan.

Sir James Munby, president of the Family Division, said "The children's welfare needs outweigh the impact that adoption would have on their Roma identity".

Any judge should "respect the opinions of those who come here from a foreign land", he said.

But he had to judge matters according to English law and by reference to "the standards of reasonable men and women in contemporary English society", Sir James added.

He described as "unnecessary and hurtful" a court report submitted by social workers that stated the parents views on homosexuality could be perceived as bigoted.

The parents say they will appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights.

Sources

• Daily Mail
• BBC
• Image: National Fast for Immigrant Justice

Under existing law it is illegal for a single male to adopt a female. If the law is changed to allow same sex couples to adopt, will a male couple be allowed to do so?

Is there a distinction to be made between the effect on a child of being raised by two women, and the effect on a child of being raised by two men?

The law already makes a distinction between men and women says John Roughan, single men can get an adoption order only for boys.

He points out that the act (section 4, subsection 2) expressly excludes adoption of a female by a sole male applicant unless there are exceptional circumstances.

"I suppose the legislators had heterosexual men in mind. It will be interesting to see what Ms Kaye and co-reformer Kevin Hague will do with that clause if they produce a bill to include male couples" says Roughan.

Read John Roughan's column in The New Zealand Herald

John Roughan is a Weekend Herald Columnist

Image: The Ave.us

One of them is being developed by National's Nikki Kay and Green's Kevin Hague.

In an email to gayexpress on Monday Hague said "the cat's out of the bag" after the National Party's northern regional conference in Auckland last weekend passed a remit that supports adoption by couples who are in a civil union.

Hague confirmed that, "Nikki Kaye and I are working on an adoption reform Bill, which we hope will be ready soon and may be picked up by the Government.

"Contrary to the impression given by the Herald, it's actually a comprehensive reform, but one of its features is clearing the way for adoption by same-sex couples (and other queer people actually)."

The National party's national conference in July is expected to debate a gay adoption remit, although, should it be adopted as Government policy, such a matter would be a conscience vote in Parliament.

The Prime Minister John Key says he would give initial support to potential legislation to legalise adoption by gay couples.

Source

• The New Zealand Herald
• gayexpress
• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: NewstalkZB