Arkansas: Homosexual Adoption on the Way Out

The Family Council Action Committee of Arkansas have been very busy, collecting signatures on a petition proposing the following amendment to the laws of the State,

An Act Providing That An Individual Who Is Cohabiting Outside Of A Valid Marriage May Not Adopt Or Be A Foster Parent Of A Child Less Than Eighteen Years Old

They've only had to collect 61,974 valid signatures, however the rules governing the collection of signatures on a petition are much more stringent than they are here in New Zealand. World Net Daily reports,

"A ban against unmarried couples becoming foster or adoptive parents is scheduled to appear on Arkansas ballots this fall – and some say the measure is geared at denying homosexuals the chance to raise children. The Arkansas Family Council Action Committee submitted 85,389 of the required 61,974 voter's signatures to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot, according to Associated Press reports. Family Council President Jerry Cox said getting the proposed act on the ballot is a significant step for families.
"Arkansas needs to affirm the importance of married mothers and fathers," he said. "We need to publicly affirm the gold standard of rearing children whenever we can. The state standard should be as close to that gold standard of married mom and dad homes as possible."
In 2006, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against a state policy preventing "gays" from becoming foster parents. The Family Council reacted by acquiring enough signatures to place the initiative on the Arkansas ballot...."
Click here for the rest of the article

This is a fabulous improvement on Arkansas law.  The last thing a foster child needs is to be brought up in a home where he has two dads or two mums.  The Family Council Action Committee lists three reasons why they believe that foster care children should not be placed in homes with individuals who cohabit with a sexual partner.  The two key points are in bold.

1. Children in the Arkansas foster care system and children in need of adoption are among the most vulnerable in our society. They desperately need to live in a home with a mother and a father who are married to one another. Five thousand years of human history, common sense, every major world religion, and scores of scientific studies agree that the best place for a child is in a home with a married mother and father. If the State of Arkansas is going to create families through adoption or foster care, we owe it to the children to create the best ones possible.
2. The Arkansas Adoption Act will increase the number of homes for adoptive and foster care children. Adoptive and foster care children need good homes and the best way to find those homes is to make people aware of the need. Any shortage of foster homes or any shortage of families willing to adopt can be attributed to the fact that married couples are not meeting this need. As the Arkansas Adoption Act is discussed and debated it will highlight the need for more homes and result in an increase in the number of good homes for Arkansas’ most vulnerable children.
3. This act seeks to blunt a homosexual agenda that has used the shortage of adoptive or foster care homes in other states as a means of advancing their social agenda. Laws have been passed in eight states that support the homosexual agenda when it comes to the adoption or foster care of children. Arkansas has no law to prevent homosexual adoption. Homosexuals are adopting children and this will continue until a law is passed. A lawsuit filed by the ACLU and supported by homosexuals resulted in an Arkansas judge overturning state regulations banning homosexuals from serving as foster parents. The Arkansas Adoption Act addresses this issue as well.

Congratulations to the hard-working canvassers from Arkansas who have put so much time and effort into getting this proposed piece of law onto the ballot for November this year.  Another point of interest, "in 2004 the Family Council successfully passed an Arkansas constitutional amendment banning gay marriage". (WND)