[nawlinsmom]

Hi, all as a single straight adoptive mom th article below really bothers me. Why in the world would anyone not see that the most important thing is for a child to be loved. I can't stand that people think a child can only be raised "right" in a traditional husband and wife household. And to further anger me, Utah will only let couples, man and women adopt. (Am I reading this right?) We must stop this craziness, the children and the adults who have so much to give will lose out over and over. Sorry for the ranting but is it only me???

Efforts to ban gays and lesbians from adopting children are emerging across the USA as a second front in the culture wars that began during the 2004 elections over same-sex marriage.

Steps to pass laws or secure November ballot initiatives are underway in at least 16 states, adoption, gay rights and conservative groups say. Some - such as Ohio, Georgia and Kentucky - approved constitutional amendments in 2004 banning gay marriage. (Related story: Both sides cite concern for children)

"Now that we've defined what marriage is, we need to take that further and say children deserve to be in that relationship," says Greg Quinlan of Ohio's Pro-Family Network, a conservative Christian group.

Florida has banned all gays and lesbians from adopting since 1977, although they can be foster parents. State court challenges and a campaign by entertainer Rosie O'Donnell to overturn the law have failed. A pending bill would allow judges to grant exceptions.

Mississippi bans adoption by gay couples, but gay singles can adopt. Utah prohibits all unmarried couples from adoption.

Kent Markus of the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy in Ohio says he hasn't seen this much activity in 15 years as a researcher.

Richard Carlson, a professor at South Texas College of Law in Houston, says adoption laws based on judgments of morality offer "a weak argument" and will face legal challenges. He cites U.S. Supreme Court rulings striking down bans on interracial marriage and sodomy, which reflected prevailing views when enacted. The high court has not taken up a state ban on gay adoption.

Religious groups and state courts are grappling with the issue. Roman Catholic bishops in Massachusetts are seeking an exemption from state anti-bias laws to allow the church to bar gays from adopting through its social service agencies. Meanwhile, a judge in Missouri ruled last week that the state could not deny a foster care license to a lesbian.


Fueling the political activity:


• Ballot victories. Social conservatives view family makeup as the next battleground after passing marriage amendments in 11 states in 2004. They welcomed a bill introduced this month in Ohio that would ban gays and lesbians from adopting or raising foster children. They vow to put it on the ballot if the bill fails.


Patrick Guerriero of Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group opposed to marriage and adoption limits, calls the strategy the next step by conservatives.


• Election-year politics. Republicans battered by questions over ethics and Iraq "might well" use the adoption issue to deflect attention and draw out conservatives in close Senate and governor races in states such as Missouri and Ohio, says Sherry Be***** Jeffe, University of Southern California political scientist.


The aim is to replicate 2004, says Julie Brueggemann of the gay rights group PROMO: Personal Rights of Missourians. She says marriage initiatives mobilized conservative voters in 2004 and helped President Bush win in closely contested states such as Ohio. Republicans "see this as a get-out-the-vote tactic."


Republican pollster Whit Ayres is skeptical. Adoption, he says, "doesn't have the emotional power of the gay marriage issue because there is no such thing as the phrase 'the sanctity of adoption.' "

[mckenna]

i am always offended by people judging my family. i am a single straight woman as well but i teach my kids that families come in all shapes and sizes and no one has the right to judge our family or anyone elses. i would like to see how many of those voting to stop gays/lesbians from adopting have actually adopted from the foster care system and how they plan on providing enough families for children in the foster care system if g/l's are no longer options????

[2Bulgarianbeauties]

I agree. There are so many children that need homes. Maybe it is because I am in the adoption world, but I do not see that gay marriage and gay adoption go hand in hand.

Kids deserve parents, and sexual orientation does not dictate what type of parent you will be.

Kay

[Volfe]

Oh I was so floored to read this on the front page of USA Today! I didn't buy the paper however and only read it here.

How about ruling the world with 'Do as I say, not as I do'?

Why can't kids have good parents only, without judgement of the last resort being barging into one's bedroom. I know people of various orientation who are great parents with great kids. A lot of 'em here on the forums. But whether they are married or not doesn't affect their great parent status either so... let 'em be married if they want too.

Maia

[LisaCA]

this sort of thing upsets me too and reminds me of The Handmaid's Tale by M. Atwood. the goal is a loving family, period. Clearly these folks have too much time on their hands if they can climb into everyone's bedroom and determine who can and can't adopt/have children. I hope people wake up and realize just what we've wrought.

today it's gays, lesbians, and singles, tomorrow it could be interracial couples, older couples, and you.

[Shoshana]

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.


by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

A BIG two thumbs down for the conservatives who sponsor and support this legislation. I know this isn't a great argument, but I find it apt -- if they're so concerned about the kids who need homes, why aren't they adopting them?

Argh, the ignorance.

[Jackobanzi]

This is infuriating, isn't it? It's the kind of thing I can't spend too much time thinking about or I get all worked up and then can't function.

Since political views tend to come in clusters...I belong to a Planned Parenthood action alert newsletter as well as True Majority Action network's action alerts. They send out notices when issues that may or may not be important to you (both are liberal orgs, though I'm sure there are conservative equivalents). Usually you can just click reply and send or go to a website and it automatically sends an e-mail to your pertinent representative. Yes, it's a form letter, but all the reps do is have their secretaries tally the opinions, anyway.

It makes me feel better in a small way. Usually PP handles related issues like this, so I'm hoping they're on top of this one.

[JGarrick]

It's definitely not just you. I lean left politically, but although I may not agree, I can understand most positions on the other side of the aisle.

The anti-gay crusade of conservatives in the US, however, I just can't comprehend. What difference does it make to me how consenting adults behave in their bedrooms?

My opinion: Live and let live.