In a measure clearly targeting gay and lesbian couples, Arkansas voters will vote Nov. 4th on a measure to prohibit unmarried couples from fostering or adopting children. Not only would it prevent gay and lesbian couples from adopting, but it is likely to increase the turnout of evangelical voters at the polls for the presidential election to the advantage of John McCain.
The measure is sponsored by the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, which assembled 85,389 valid signatures of registered voters.
The ballot measure is a response to a 2006 Arkansas Supreme Court decision striking down a state policy that banned gay and lesbian parents from being foster parents. Family Council President Jerry Cox insists that “Arkansas needs to affirm the importance of married mothers and fathers. We need to publicly affirm the gold standard of rearing children whenever we can. The state standard should be as close to that gold standard of married mom and dad homes as possible.”
The result is that the state could leave kids without foster or adoptive parents rater than allow gay or lesbian couples to serve as parents.
The law may find its way to the United States Supreme Court. The state is likely to downplay the targeting of gay and lesbian parents by emphasizing the technical single status of the parents (since the state will not recognize same-sex marriage). Of course, the purpose of the measure is made plain in the literature and statements of the sponsors, which can be considered by a court. That will make for a very interesting challenge.
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Hi,
This is Laura from Arkansas Families First. Go to our website, http://www.arkansasfamiliesfirst.org, to help defeat this initiative and keep as many homes as possible open for Arkansas kids.
rcampbell,
You made many good points. One of the most frequently stated reasons for hating homosexuals is that homosexuals are pedifiles. This is a bizarre way of thinking because we do have the facts on child sexual predators. The group most likely to offend is married, heterosexual men. It’s another reason why I don’t believe for a minute that there is a real concern for child safety and well-being in the religious right. They aren’t calling for banning married heterosexual men from contact with children but by their own logic (not mine) really, they should.
Also, I think your right about the religious test. It is becomming a defacto test for office. While the democrats pander to the far right, McCain is going after swing voters. That strategy makes a great deal more sense. There are many more independent voters that Obama might be able to pick up. Meanwhile his energy is distracted by going after only a very few voters he may get by pursuing this stategy. This right wing courtship is off-putting to many of us.
McCain is a horrible candidate. The economy lies in ruin. The Iraq war is still on: killing, wounding, exhausting our troops. There is no way these candidates should be within the statisfical margin of error in this election.
>In the meantime I wish the Democratic party would quit pandering to >the religious right. It is both a moral and political mistake.
Jill, as always, your comments are spot on. I found that whole Rev Warren chat to be very offensive and likely in direct violation of the US Constitution as it surely seemed to me to be developing a religious test for Presidential candidates.
on the other issue, I might add this reminder to the AFA: Nearly every gay person in the world was born to two heterosexuals. Perhaps we also need to remind the AFA of all the thousands of annual incidents of neglect or the phyical, emotional and sexual abuse visited on children from their “gold standard” of married heterosexuals.
But then, a degree of compassion is in order. These are Christian religious zealots we’re talking about and as such they can’t be expected to have much depth of intellectual thought.
The Homosexual Agenda–equality of opportunity, goods/services, employment and civil rights for all.
Christ’s Agenda–love of all people, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness.
Christian Anti-Gay Agenda–prevent equality, deny love, promote discrimination, propagate hate and distrust.
Yesterday Terry Gross had a very interesting discussion on the role of religion in the Democratic Party. The link is below.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93942638
I bring this up becuase there is a lot of talk lately about the supposed moderation of the religious right. I see this ban as yet another way to try and hide the real ideology and desire for a theocratic state by the religious right.
Per the suggestion of another poster, litzell, I did go to the AFA website. It’s home page devotes pride of place to; “THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA”. I saw zero evidence of moderation. What I did see was fear mongering and hate.
This law has nothing to do with children’s well-being. The “gold standard” of parenting is a loving, thoughtful, engaged, fun, knowledgeable person(s). Two parent families, either gay or straight may be wonderful or they may be abusive. Single parent families– the same. This is an anti-child law as it prevents children from having a loving home.
I see this in the long line of attempts to christianize the nation, (the shifting sands of creation “science” for example). I hope the court sees it for what it is, just as they did with creationism.
In the meantime I wish the Democratic party would quit pandering to the religious right. It is both a moral and political mistake.