Senate Bill 68, sponsored by Shelby County Gary Tapp, would prevent unmarried couples from adopting children in Kentucky. Gatewood, a family court attorney who works on cases where abused and neglected children are looking for permanent homes and is also openly gay, said he believes the bill's intent is to prevent gay couples from adopting and is similar to legislation already filed in states.
Gatewood: "They're essentially creating a 'Catch 22.' They're arguing that we shouldn't be allowed to be parents because we're not married and they pass a law that says we can't be married...Senator Tapp wants to send the Cabinet for Health and Family services into people's bedrooms. Instead of looking at whether people are appropriate placements, have an acceptable home, or whether they have a criminal record, let's see if they're having sex."
Gatewood said the bill would have unintended consequences that would limit the number of homes where abused and neglected children could go.
David Edmunds, with the Family Foundation of Kentucky, said his nonprofit educational group supports the bill.
Edmunds: "This bill is about children's needs, not adults desires. All the statistics show that children do better in a married home. Unmarried homes are more likely to break up, more likely to foster abuse, and the statistics bare that out pretty consistently."
Edmunds rebuffed the idea that SB 68 was specifically targeting gays and lesbians.
Full Article and Source:
Opposition Grows To Kentucky Adoption Legislation
Gatewood: "They're essentially creating a 'Catch 22.' They're arguing that we shouldn't be allowed to be parents because we're not married and they pass a law that says we can't be married...Senator Tapp wants to send the Cabinet for Health and Family services into people's bedrooms. Instead of looking at whether people are appropriate placements, have an acceptable home, or whether they have a criminal record, let's see if they're having sex."
Gatewood said the bill would have unintended consequences that would limit the number of homes where abused and neglected children could go.
David Edmunds, with the Family Foundation of Kentucky, said his nonprofit educational group supports the bill.
Edmunds: "This bill is about children's needs, not adults desires. All the statistics show that children do better in a married home. Unmarried homes are more likely to break up, more likely to foster abuse, and the statistics bare that out pretty consistently."
Edmunds rebuffed the idea that SB 68 was specifically targeting gays and lesbians.
Full Article and Source:
Opposition Grows To Kentucky Adoption Legislation
1 comment:
Yes, I think Gatewood has it right -- they're creating a Catch 22.
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