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Kevin and Darren live in Portland Oregon and are a gay, committed couple. We believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all...regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, nationality, financial status, and being. Erase man-made borders and "they" become "we". New Site: HERE.Monday, November 15
Anger at prospect of adoption rights for gay couples
[Kevin Schofield]
The Catholic Church last night voiced its concerns that same-sex and unmarried couples may be allowed to adopt or foster children following a review of current laws. Under existing Scots law, only one half of an unmarried couple - whether same-sex or heterosexual - can adopt a child.
An independent review group is considering how best to update and simplify the adoption laws, which date back to the 1970s. It was reported yesterday that the review group was going to recommend to ministers that Scotland should be brought into line with the position south of the Border, where unmarried couples have the same adoption rights as married people.
But the claims provoked an angry response from the Catholic Church, which insisted the status quo should remain. Peter Kearney, a Church spokesman, said unmarried couples were more likely to separate and that allowing them to adopt or foster children would be a threat to stable family life.
He said: "All the evidence shows that the most secure, stable and supportive environment for children is provided by married, heterosexual parents. "Allowing unmarried, heterosexual couples to adopt would not be the ideal, and we would have even more concern about homosexual couples because we know from a lot of evidence that homosexual relationships are inherently unstable."
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives also expressed concerns that the adoption laws might be changed. He said: "Our concern throughout this debate has been the desire to make sure there is no undermining of the stable family unit, which has been shown to be the most effective way for children to be raised."
The Executive launched the review of adoption laws a year ago. At the time, Euan Robson, the deputy education minister, hinted that the current legislation would be relaxed to allow more couples the opportunity to adopt. He said: "We must also ensure that we don’t discriminate against any couple who can offer a child the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing family environment."
The Catholic Church last night voiced its concerns that same-sex and unmarried couples may be allowed to adopt or foster children following a review of current laws. Under existing Scots law, only one half of an unmarried couple - whether same-sex or heterosexual - can adopt a child.
An independent review group is considering how best to update and simplify the adoption laws, which date back to the 1970s. It was reported yesterday that the review group was going to recommend to ministers that Scotland should be brought into line with the position south of the Border, where unmarried couples have the same adoption rights as married people.
But the claims provoked an angry response from the Catholic Church, which insisted the status quo should remain. Peter Kearney, a Church spokesman, said unmarried couples were more likely to separate and that allowing them to adopt or foster children would be a threat to stable family life.
He said: "All the evidence shows that the most secure, stable and supportive environment for children is provided by married, heterosexual parents. "Allowing unmarried, heterosexual couples to adopt would not be the ideal, and we would have even more concern about homosexual couples because we know from a lot of evidence that homosexual relationships are inherently unstable."
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives also expressed concerns that the adoption laws might be changed. He said: "Our concern throughout this debate has been the desire to make sure there is no undermining of the stable family unit, which has been shown to be the most effective way for children to be raised."
The Executive launched the review of adoption laws a year ago. At the time, Euan Robson, the deputy education minister, hinted that the current legislation would be relaxed to allow more couples the opportunity to adopt. He said: "We must also ensure that we don’t discriminate against any couple who can offer a child the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing family environment."
posted by jikido # 1:02 PM 
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