.- The
Vatican’s recent reiteration of its position against Catholic
organizations facilitating gay adoptions has raised more debate on the
issue in the United States. But many observers say this debate will
prove much less divisive than gay marriage, reported The Christian
Science Monitor.
Recently, the
bishops in Massachusetts announced that Catholic Charities of Boston
would stop placing children with same-sex couples. Catholic Charities
in San Francisco is currently under similar pressure.
Timothy Muldoon,
director of the nonpartisan ‘Church in the 21st Century Center’ at
Boston College, explained the Vatican position. He told The Christian
Science Monitor that the bishops and the Vatican "are concerned with
human rights, but they're also fundamentally concerned with
particularly creating a culture that supports the family.”
Currently,
Florida, Mississippi, and Utah have laws that ban gay adoption.
Nebraska, Arkansas, and Missouri have de facto policies or laws
restricting gays from adopting or becoming foster parents. Georgia,
Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee, among others, have indicated a
willingness to introduce constitutional amendments. And Arizona is
considering a bill that would force the state to give priority to
married couples, reported the Christian Science Monitor.
Child-welfare advocates, however, say these laws keep children desperately in need of stability from getting any family at all.
"While it's
still a divisive issue, it's not nearly as inflammatory as gay
marriage," Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the
People and the Press, told the Christian Science Monitor.
"With gay
marriage there's the whole question of what marriage represents, in
what's a religious ceremony for many people,” he was quoted as saying.
“With adoption we have the issue of children who are uncared for being
taken care of. There are all kinds of crosscurrents that will be there
that aren't there for gay marriage."
The Evan B.
Donaldson Adoption Institute is expected to release its research on gay
adoptive parents this month. Previous research demonstrates there are
no substantive reasons not to place children with same-sex couples, the
organization says.
Issue of gay adoptions not as divisive as gay marriage
Related news
- Prefect says Catholic agencies should not allow gay adoptions, San Francisco reconsiders policy
- Scottish Catholics seek exemption re adoptions by same-sex couples
- Archdiocese of Boston to decide about same-sex adoptions early in New Year
- Apostolic nuncio recommends no same-sex adoptions for Catholic Charities
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