
Gay Adoption Controversy
According to ABC News, Catholic Charities of
Boston will shut its doors because of pressure from the Catholic Church,
which opposes the Massachusetts law that protects the rights of gay
couples to adopt a child. The charity has been in operation for 103 years,
finding homes for tens of thousands of needy children.
"We find ourselves in a conflict," said the Rev. Bryan Hehir from Catholic
Charities. "The religious, moral principles of Catholic teaching and
practice clash with the political and civil regulations of the state."
Across the country, churches and grassroot groups are banding together,
demanding that legislation is put in place to ban gay couples from
adopting children.
Last year, gay adoption bans were introduced in Alabama, Indiana,
Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. So far, all those bills have been killed in
committee.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics children's development are
influenced more by the nature of the relationships and interactions within
the family unit than by the particular structural form it takes. Studies
show that children who grow up with one or two gay and or lesbian parents
fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social and sexual functioning as do
children whose parents are heterosexual.
Currently there are some 126,000 children in foster care who are eligible
for adoption each year. Less than half of them find permanent homes.
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