Florida May Put Children First
February 14, 2006: In a shocking move, Florida, the only state in America which outright bans lesbians and gay men from adopting, is considering allowing loving parents to provide a permanent home to children in need.
Could the Sunshine State really be putting children’s welfare ahead of prejudice? Who would do such a thing? It sounds like pure craziness, but read the below from 365.gay com:
Florida lawmakers on Tuesday will consider legislation that would allow gays and lesbians to adopt children.
The state banned gays from adopting in 1977 in response to and anti-gay campaign waged by singer Anita Bryant. It does, however, permit gays to be foster parents.
The bill the Senate Children and Families Committee is scheduled to vote on would not repeal the adoption ban but would allow judges to decide in individual cases whether to override the law and place children permanently with gays and lesbians.
The legislation is sponsored by state Sen. Nan Rich (D-Weston). She says there are more than 3,400 children in Florida foster care who are in need of permanent homes.
Her bill would let same-sex couples adopt if a court determines that the child is better off with them than in a different temporary living situation.
Among those who will testify at the committee hearing are Wayne Smith and Dan Skahen, a gay couple from Key West.
They have been foster parents for the past seven years to a number of abused, abandoned and neglected children.
They want to adopt one child in particular, an 8-year-old boy who has lived with them since he was 3.
Smith and Skahan were involved, with two other gay men, in a legal challenge to the state ban. Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, they argued that the law was unconstitutional.
After lower courts upheld the law the Supreme Court last year declined to hear the case
First of all, I bet that the “3,400″ number of children in foster care who need permanent homes is a low-ball figure. Florida has been known to lose kids in their foster care system before.
Secondly, can anyone believe the children of Florida are still suffering from laws passed under the hateful fearmongering of Anita Bryant? Doesn’t it seem like a hundred years ago that that particular horrowshow aired?
Lastly, bless Sen. Nan Rich for proposing this sensible, child-friendly bill. And bless the Smith/Shahan family who might, after providing love and care to a little boy for five years, finally be able to provide him with the permanence and security that a child needs.