"Because I'm not a robot, mate."

Nor a human being by the sound of it.

"Oh, yes. Deeply inadequate."

I thought so.

//Nor a human being by the sound of it.//

Nah, I covered this on another thread:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=7905#244615

I'm really half lizard.

//"Oh, yes. Deeply inadequate."

I thought so.//

Quick, somebody fetch me some cold water for that scorching burn!

"I'm really half lizard."

But I thought you were being sarcastic. How can we tell the difference between your sarcasm and any genuine arguments you may have?

Nathan J,

Best of luck in your family research; been there and still at it.
In my case, I was fortunate that one of my ancestors was a fairly well to do Scottish farmer and he married one of the numerous daughters of an impoverished nobleman thus opening a portal for his descendant to build an imposing family tree; always being mindful, however, that family trees are like peanut bushes, the best parts are under the ground!!

Dear Nathan,

It will help you to remain focused on one topic.

You write above love, about surrogacy, about custom-design children and about family - but not about your own topic: "The rights of the child in the 'yes' vs 'no' debate".

I understand that this debate triggered a train of thoughts in your mind, but this leads nowhere.

When trying to concentrate on one issue and other matters pop up, do set them aside. If you feel that you need to write such side-thoughts on a piece of paper, so you won't lose them, that's OK, do so, but then go back to the original object rather than follow the proceeds of these side-thoughts.

This art of concentration eventually leads into meditation. It will give you the necessary strength to solve all mental problems.

For those people who use the argument that all children need is a safe loving environment to be happy there are two issues.
Firstly, why does everyone assume that gay couples are any happier or more stable then heterosexual. The opposite is actually true. The domestic violence rate is higher in same sex and bisexual couples,than in heterosexual couples, and break down of the relationship is common.
Secondly, all studies on the effect on children being raised without fathers is very clear. The outcomes are far worse than for children raised with a father, especiallymtheir biological father. Not many studies are available on kids raised without mothers but I would guarantee the results would be the same.
The idea that mothers and fathers are interchangeable is a joke.