Malta: Adoption board chief removed after expressing ‘disgust’ for gay adoptions
The chief of Malta’s adoption board has been removed from his post, after expressing “disgust” at the introduction of adoption for same-sex couples.
According to the Times of Malta, Ivan Grech Mintoff had attacked the government for including a provision for gay adoption in the country’s civil unions bill earlier this year without consulting the board first.
He said: “We were taken totally by surprise to see these adoptions added to civil unions.
“I think it was introduced in the most disgusting way possible. Surreptitiously is not a good enough term to use.”
“The LGBT adoption process has been dovetailed in a very disgusting manner, into the Civil Union Bill.
“The public should be made aware that the government is taking rash decisions in order to accommodate the EU rather than accommodating the public.”
Family Minister Michael Farrugia had asked board members opposed to the changes to resign, and this week the government replaced Grech Mintoff with Cynthia Pace Asciak
In April, the historically Catholic country’s Oarliament voted to allow same-sex couples to enter civil unions and adopt children, and amended its constitution to forbid discrimination against transgender people.
The first civil union took place in Malta earlier this month.
