"It's way past time to allow the thousands of children in foster care the opportunity to live in safe and nurturing families who are eager to adopt them. There are strict guidelines to ensure that the placement of these children will be regulated and that the parents will provide the protective guidance and structure that the children need. My home state of Florida had discriminatory laws in place that were preventing caring parents from adoption. This Federal bill is a step in the right direction so that the proper match between responsible parent and needy child can take place regardless of the parent's sexual orientation."
She the first Republican supporter same-sex couples becoming adoptive or foster parents.
Lord, just when I give this heifer a compliment, she turns around and kicks dirt on my Prada loafers. Jan has approved a bill that gives married couples preference over others for adopting kids.
Senate Bill 1188, which was sponsored by Sen. Linda Gray, R-Glendale, would require an adoption agency to give primary consideration to adoptive placement with a married man and woman, with all other criteria being equal.
The bill applies to both state and private adoption agencies. Previously, only Utah has a law requiring priority for married couples, though several other states have bans on adoptions by same-sex couples or by unmarried couples.
Conservative groups and other supporters of the measure said children should have every opportunity to grow up in a household with a mom and dad. But critics said the bill will discourage singles from considering adoption in Arizona. About one-third of the foster children in Arizona are adopted by an unmarried person.
So technically, it's not saying gays can't adopt, but it sure is hard as Hell for a gay couple to do so. Way to go, Jan.
In Louisiana, Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith lost the battle to put both names on their son's birth certificate.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that a Louisiana registrar's insistence that only one father's name can go on the certificate does not violate the child's right to equal protection under the law; nor does it deny legal recognition of the New York adoption by both men.
An attorney for the gay rights group Lamda Legal said the complex 72-page decision would have to be analyzed before a decision would be made on whether to appeal.
"These are certainly the types of claims that might interest the U.S. Supreme Court," said Ken Upton of Lamda Legal's Dallas office.
In Louisiana, adopted children get new birth certificates with their new parents' names on them. However, the state does not allow adoptions by unmarried couples. The state contends that putting both men's names on the birth certificate would violate state law.
This is not fair. They are his parents they should be able to claim him as their child.
The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a decision to strike down a state law barring gay couples and unmarried couples from being adoptive or foster parents.
The law, approved by voters in a 2008 ballot initiative, violates constitutional privacy rights, the court held. “The choice imposed on cohabiting sexual partners, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is dramatic,” Justice Robert Brown wrote for the court. “They must chose either to lead a life of private, sexual intimacy with a partner without the opportunity to adopt or foster children or forego sexual cohabitation and, thereby, attain eligibility to adopt or foster.”
The Arkansas ruling follows a decision last year in Florida, which we wrote about here, striking down a Florida state ban on adoption by gays.
“The intent behind the [Arkansas] law was to try to prevent gay and lesbians from adopting or serving as foster parents,” said Garrard Beeney, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell who represented couples challenging the law. “This is another step in the direction of striking down laws based on stereotypes and advancing efforts to place children in loving homes.”
The suit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which also hailed the ruling. “The ban did nothing positive,” ACLU lawyer Christine Sun said in a statement. “It required the government to intrude into the private lives of Arkansans for no child welfare purpose at all. We are relieved that the court agreed that the law is unconstitutional.”
This is very interesting. Yesterday Gov. Bob McDonnell went on record to say that gays shouldn't be allowed to adopt. Many folks were not happy about his stance and this drama quickly spread in the blog world.
Now watch a debate between Repub Delegate Bob Marshall and Ellen Kahn, Family Project Director for the HRC.
Mexico's Supreme Court has voted to uphold a Mexico City law allowing adoptions by same-sex couples.
Monday's 9-2 ruling by the justices rejects a legal challenge by federal prosecutors and others who argue the law fails to protect adoptive children against possible ill-effects or discrimination.
