Lower House of Dutch Parliament Approves Foreign Adoptions by Same-Sex Couples

The lower house of the Dutch parliament has agreed with a government proposal to allow same-sex couples to adopt children from abroad. Currently, same-sex couples can adopt children from the Netherlands, but not from elsewhere. The new law would also change adoption procedures to make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt from countries that do not allow them to do so: “The procedures for adoption by a single parent will be shortened, so a single gay person will be able to adopt in a shorter time frame. Afterwards, his/her partner can then adopt the child in order to also legally become its parent.” (Thanks to SwissClogs at Mother Talkers for the heads up and translation. There’s also a short English summary here.)