Voters Asked To Decide Fate Of Adopted, Foster Children
Sides Split Over Whether Act 1 Helps Or Hurts
Last updated Thursday, October 30, 2008 6:37 PM CDT in News
By Bob Caudle
THE MORNING NEWS
SPRINGDALE -- Volunteers and churches put the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act on Tuesday's ballot, according to the president of the Family Council Action Committee.
The act, Proposed Initiative Act No. 1, prevents adoptive or foster care children from being placed in homes with individuals who have a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend.
The end result is a ban on homosexual adoptions and foster care, said Jerry Cox, the president of the Family Council Committee in Little Rock.
"No. 1, it protects a child's welfare," Cox said Thursday during a news conference at the Springdale Holiday Inn. "No. 2, it seeks to blunt a gay agenda, that's going on not only in Arkansas, but across America."
Cox cited the May 14 decision by the California Supreme Court overturning a ban on gay marriage.
Family Council Action Committee had more than 2,700 volunteers in more than 1,000 churches in Arkansas gathering signatures.
But, Cox said, three groups in Little Rock, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families First and Arkansas Advocates for Children recently forced the Department of Human Services to reverse its policy of not placing foster children in homes were there is a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend.
"A lot of people want to make this about adult rights," Cox said. "This is so we don't let someone walk in and adopt a child like getting a puppy from the pound. It protects kids from going to a home where they don't have a chance for success."
Since the Department of Human Services reversed its policy, Cox said his group decided to tackle the issue legislatively.
However, a spokesman for a group opposing the initiative says Act 1 is not good for children.
"The act will not function in the best interests of children," according to Brett Kincaid, the campaign director for Arkansas Families First. "It's a blanket rule that will disqualify potential foster homes."
Kincaid said his group is a consortium of child-care providers from physicians to psychologists. He said the Department of Human Services and Gov. Mike Beebe have recently decided against Act 1.
Initiatives should always look toward the best interest of the children, Kincaid said, and decisions made on a case-by-case basis.
"This is not a gay issue, this is a child issue," Kincaid said. "Calling this a gay issue is like calling a speeding ticket a gay issue. It's a fear tactic using children to further a right-wing agenda."
At A Glance
Proposed Initiative Act No. 1
The act as it will appear on Tuesday's ballot:
"An act providing that an individual who is co-habitating outside of a valid marriage may not adopt or be a foster parent of a child less than eighteen years old."
Source: Staff Report
Reader Comments (1 comment(s))
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
lousaxon wrote on Oct 31, 2008 8:58 AM: