mid-day editorial: Let's not be childish about family

Karan Johar and the birth of his twins through surrogacy continue to make news, two days after the announcement.

Karan Johar and the birth of his twins through surrogacy continue to make news, two days after the announcement.

Whether it is about the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, which can take away this option from singles, or the fact that Karan managed to keep this secret for so long, Karan’s twins are the talk of the town. Out with the old, conservative notions about who and what constitutes a family - this is about hailing a new age and a new kind of family, one that was difficult to imagine a few years ago, but is becoming part of the shifting sands in this country.

Celebrities have been showing us - and this is because the spotlight is so bright on them - that the conventional relationship or family is not the only option. Let us now revise our notions of good parenthood or the presumption that heterosexual couples with children are the perfect family norm.

A single man or woman with children? It’s a family. Two gay men and a child? Family. Two gay women and their children? Also family.

There is a need to be sensitive while framing laws as well, to ensure that it doesn’t unfairly take away the option of parenthood from certain sections of society. Take, for instance, the proposed surrogacy law, which threatens to make it harder for singles to become parents through surrogacy.

Let us throw out the tired concept that a child needs a man and a woman as parents to be brought up the correct way. Let everybody - including the government - open up their hearts and minds to these new kinds of family.

Kids from all kinds of families must be accepted. Put an to bullying or any unnecessary clucks about this not being ‘Indian’ culture. Hail the new family of one, two, three, four or more.

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