U.S. House Bill Would Coerce States to Allow Homosexual Adoption



Last week a bill was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives proposing federal-level punishment for states that ban homosexual couples and non-married individuals from adopting children.

Touted as a measure to help more children find homes, Democratic California Rep. Pete Stark’s “Every Child Deserves a Family Act” recommends that states allowing foster care placements only into married heterosexual households be deprived of federal child welfare funds.

The law would have an impact on Utah, Florida, Arkansas, Nebraska and Mississippi, which either explicitly restrict adoption to heterosexual couples, or restrict it to married couples while not recognizing same-sex “marriage.”

“It is unacceptable that states are denying children healthy, loving homes simply because of a potential parent’s sexual orientation or marital status,” said Rep. Stark in a press release last week.  “The Every Child Deserves a Family Act ensures that the best interests of children are the only criteria for finding adoptive and foster parents.”

The bill reads: “In order to open more homes to foster children, child welfare agencies should work to eliminate sexual orientation, gender identification, and marital status discrimination and bias in adoption and foster care recruitment, selection, and placement procedures.” It also authorizes those who claim their bid for adoption was compromised by such factors to sue in a federal court.

The measure is slated for the House Ways & Means committee, whose website shows no hearings scheduled for the bill.  Stark is the bill’s only sponsor.

Major homosexualist lobbies such as the Human Rights Commission have not commented on the bill.

Click here to read the text of the bill.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Representatives of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences Denounce Homosexual Adoption and Euthanasia
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09071711.html

Comments

  • c-kingsley

    I had heard that there are about 30 times as many adoptive couples in the US as there are children that are available to be adopted. Does anyone know a source for this or can disprove it? If it’s true, if it’s even close to being true, is this bill just a solution in search of a problem?

  • plowshare

    c-kingsley, you may be right about that figure, and it is certainly true that there are many times more adoptive couples in the US than there are babies available to be adopted. But there are older children in foster homes, and perhaps there are not enough parents wanting to adopt older children. It would be nice to have hard data on this.

Newsletter

Subscribe to the Catholic Exchange Ezine and Newsletter.

The Church Today

Today's Mass Readings

Readings for May 24

Liturgy of the Hours

Daily Divine Office

Words of Encouragement

“You have given me a glimpse of your nature, of your relationship with the father. I can’t fully understand that, Lord. Why did you reveal it to me? You want to be known by me. You want me to enter…

Pope Benedict's Day

 
May 27th – Pentecost Sunday
Vatican Basilica, at 9:30
PAPAL MASS
Holy Mass
Saint Peter’s Square, at 12:00
Regina Caeli…

Quote of the Day

“The whole Blessed Trinity dwells in us, the whole of that mystery which will be our vision in heaven. Let it be our cloister.” ~Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity…

Homily of the Day

Father, look out for them.

Saint of the Day

Sts. Donatian and Rogatian (Martyrs)

Ask a Monk

Spiritual advice from a Benedictine monastery by Brother Sebastian

Online via live chat
M – F: 6:00-6:30 PM EST
Saturday & Sunday: 3:00 – 5:00 PM EST

Offline via Email 24/7/365

Click on the button at any time and Brother Sebastian will respond


Support