Thursday, September 25, 2008

ELECTION 08: Ark. ballot proposal would prohibit adoption by gay, cohabiting couples

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28982

[Baptist Press News] 25 Sep 2008---Jerry Cox of the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee says he has received his share of hate mail and hate e-mails in recent months -- not to mention a few annoying phone calls.

But, he says, he has thousands of years of history -- and common sense -- on his side. On Nov. 4, voters in Arkansas will consider whether to pass a law prohibiting adoption by cohabitating heterosexual and homosexual couples. Although the law -- it's called Initiated Act 1 on the ballot -- would cover all non-married couples, it's been dubbed by some the "gay adoption ban," and Cox and his office have received plenty of unwanted attention. They're the group that organized a petition drive to put it on the ballot.

Only one other state -- Utah -- has a similar law banning adoption by all couples living together before marriage. Cox's group calls the proposal the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act.

It would not apply to single people.

1 comment:

Jess said...

This is a quote taken from the website for Alternatives to Marriage Project, 501c3. Consider this: "9,000 children are in the Arkansas foster care system - many of them are hoping to be permanently adopted by loving parents. Over 45,000 unmarried-partner households live in Arkansas (including both same-sex and different-sex couples) - some of them would make great foster or adoptive parents. The ballot initiative would lock children into the temporary, sometimes overcrowded foster system, and lock them out of potentially better situations, for no reason except bias against unmarried people. Children and parents deserve a better chance! Arkansas voters must say no to the Arkansas' Anti-Adoption Act!"

Check out: www.unmarried.org !