Same-Sex Adoption
Here we go again! Republican, (and in the interests of full disclosure) friend, Jeff Drozda says he will introduce legislation in 2007 to bar same-sex couples from adopting children. The legislation is in response to an Indiana Court of Appeals decision that ruled unmarried couples, including same-sex couples, could jointly adopt children. The Attorney General, Steve Carter, hasn’t decided whether he will appeal the decision, but Drozda wants to cut the issue off at the pass, by introducing legislation banning such adoptions.
While I understand and sympathize with Drozda’s desire to have children raised in a healthy environment, I don’t believe that simply because one has gay parents, they are automatically raised in an unhealthy environment. Some argue that children raised in “gay” environments will become gay as they try to emulate their parents’ lifestyles. However if that were the case, then how do you explain straight parents who end up with gay children?
And if we are going to ban adoption by same-sex couples then let’s take this to its logical conclusion. If someone who is gay has a child, should that child be taken away from the parent and raised by “hetros”? If a gay gets someone pregnant should they have to pay child support if they are considered to be an unfit parent? If a parent has a child and the parent later comes to terms with his or her sexual orientation and later comes out of the closet, should their child be taken away from them?
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are close to 800,000 children in the adoption/foster care system. With so many kids in need of a home, and not enough “hetros” to go around, do we really want to limit children from being in loving homes with caring parents?
I spoke with Sen. Drozda this morning, and while Jeff opposes same-sex adoption he says he wants to get a debate going in Indiana. He hopes the legislature will come up with a rule to address conflicting court decisions on the adoption of children by same-sex couples.
I am all for making adoption easier so children end up in loving homes, but I don’t think sexual orientation should be an automatic disqualifier. If anything, gays have more discretionary income than “hetros” so they can provide a better quality of life financially, on average so a gay couple is likely better to provide for a child than a “hetro” couple. But I guess having a child in perpetual foster care for his entire life is more preferable.
