New adoption law sparks controversy

New adoption law sparks controversy Arizona recently passed a law restricting gay adoption, making the issue of gay adoption once again a subject of concern and debate...

New adoption law sparks controversy Arizona recently passed a law restricting gay adoption, making the issue of gay adoption once again a subject of concern and debate. Governor Brewer recently signed a law giving married couples run-off priority over singles in state-arranged adoptions. Under this law, all other things being equal, adoption agencies must give married couples priority for adoption. The state will also take into account factors such as the likelihood that the child will be placed for adoption by a relative, the ability of the prospective adoptive family to meet the child's needs and the personal wishes of the child over 12 years old. Sam Holzon, public relations director for the gay rights group Equality Arizona, criticized the law as discriminating against same-sex couples and unmarried people and lengthening the time for children temporarily placed in foster care with a family under state custody to wait for permanent adoption. "Our governor and state Legislature are putting politics ahead of the best interests of children by pushing this adoption policy," Holzon said. "This law has done nothing good except create barriers and create a chilling effect on singles and same-sex couples from adopting. There are many children waiting to be adopted into caring families, but there are not enough adoptive and foster parents for them. Therefore, there is no reason to pass another law that creates barriers to adoption." However, Wendy Wright, president of the conservative organization Women Concerned America, pointed out that history, common sense, and scientific research all show that children develop best in a family with two parents, while children from single-parent and broken families often have various academic and behavioral problems. Wright breaks down why Arizona passed the law. Wright said: "Social workers sometimes prioritize personal preferences or political pressure. Gay activists in the United States are very powerful politically. In Massachusetts, which allows gay marriage, there have been cases where social workers have given adoption priority to same-sex couples instead of opposite-sex couples. Adoption agencies have ignored the wishes of foster parents simply because of political pressure, and have taken children fostered in their families and given them to same-sex couples for adoption." Fox Broadcasting Company reported that Arizona is not the only state in the United States to impose restrictions on gay adoption. Mississippi and Utah also give priority to married couples and prohibit unmarried couples from adopting children. North Dakota allows adoption agencies to deny gay adoptions on religious or moral grounds. Florida banned gay adoption until a court overturned the law last year. Arkansas has also banned adoptions by unmarried couples, but the state's Supreme Court overturned that law in April. Fox Broadcasting Company’s news report also said that not long ago, an Illinois Senate committee rejected a bill. The bill would allow religious organizations to deny adoption to same-sex couples and deny them foster care. In recent years, however, laws banning adoption by gay couples have failed in states such as Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. According to estimates by gay and lesbian organizations, there are an estimated 250,000 children raised by gays in the United States.