Australian prime minister in IVF controversy

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has expressed his concern at a recent court ruling in favour of a single woman who wants to use IVF treatment to conceive a baby. Lisa Meldrum appealed against the laws of the state of Victoria, citing the federal Sex Discrimination Act, which forbids discrimination on the grounds of marital status or sexual orientation.

Mr Howard said that the Act was never intended to over-rule state law, reported the UK's Daily Mail last week. 'It's my cabinet's overwhelming opinion that children should have the expectation of having the affection and care of both a mother and a father' he said. His remarks were condemned by the opposition. 'I think the most important thing when it comes to having children is that they're wanted' said Labour's health spokesman Jenny Macklin.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a lesbian and gay couple have angered family pressure groups after announcing their intention to share the parenting of a baby due later this month. Jayne Mugglestone was artificially inseminated using sperm from her gay male friend. Jayne and her female partner intend to share parental duties with the biological father and his male partner.

Cornelia Oddie, deputy director of Family Youth Concern, said that to deliberately bring a child into an unnatural family type was detrimental to the child. 'The child is not a commodity and should not be used to make a political point' she said. Ms Mugglestone said: 'I know this may seem an unusual relationship to some people, but our child will be brought up in a very loving environment with two parents and an extended family'.