Last updated 15 February 2019

Marriage

Any person is free to marry provided they are old enough, and they understand the nature and effect of the marriage ceremony at the time of the ceremony. Usually there is no legal reason why a person with a disability may not marry, unless the nature of their disability is such that they cannot understand the nature and effect of the marriage ceremony.

Parenting

People with a disability have the right to become parents. There is no presumption in the law that a person with any disability is an unfit parent.

Contraception

A person with a disability has the right to choose to use contraception or not, and decide which type to use.

Sterilisation

In the case of a person under the age of 18, a sterilisation that is to be performed for non-therapeutic reasons can only be performed with the consent of the court. The relevant legislation is the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), and applications are referred to as special medical procedure applications. When considering an application for consent for sterilisation, courts must not authorise a sterilisation that is proposed on account of its convenience as a contraceptive measure.

In the case of an adult, sterilisation can only be performed with that person’s consent. Any medical treatment performed without consent, except in an emergency, can constitute an assault for which the doctor can be held legally responsible.

However, if a person is over 18 years of age and is not able to give consent, then sterilisation falls under special healthcare matters for the purposes of the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000 (Qld). On application, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) can give consent for these procedures—an attorney or guardian cannot. The tribunal must decide whether or not the procedure is necessary for the adult’s health and wellbeing.

For further information where a person is not capable of giving consent, see the chapter on Laws Relating to Individual Decision Making.

Abortion

Since December 2018, abortion is legal in Queensland under the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 (Qld).

A health practitioner may refuse to provide the abortion if they disclose a conscientious objection. They must refer the person to another practitioner or health service believed to provide the procedure.

For pregnancies that are more than 22 weeks, extra circumstances are required in order to provide a legal termination.

Part 4 of the legislation provides protection to the pregnant person and all workers. Criminal offences have been created to provide safe access to abortion that is free from harassment, intimidation, and the recording and distribution of images by objectors.

On application, QCAT can provide consent for a termination of a pregnancy to be carried out if the mother does not have requisite capacity to provide consent.

Adoption

In general, a child cannot be adopted without the consent of the parents.

People with disabilities as adoptive parents

People with a disability can encounter difficulties when applying to adopt a child in Queensland.

Part 6 of the Adoption Act 2009 (Qld) (Adoption Act) provides for the assessment of prospective adoptive parents, and div 5 outlines the basis for deciding suitability generally. Under s 122, if the person has a disability or impairment then there are additional criteria that the Chief Executive of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services must consider in deciding if the person is suitable. These additional criteria exclude many people with a disability from being deemed suitable to be a prospective adoptive parent.

Needs of a child with a disability

Section 156 of the Adoption Act provides that the particular needs of a child with a disability must be taken into consideration when selecting prospective adoptive parents.