Catholic Church Ends Adoptions in Massachusetts and Tries Same Game in California

Posted on | March 11, 2006

Since they could not get an exemption allowing them to legally discriminate against prospective adopters that happen to be homosexuals, the Catholic Church has decided to cease all adoption services performed by its Catholic Charities organization. State law requires that all prospective candidates for adoption be judged based solely on their ability to provide a good, stable home to the children. Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who initially did not support giving the exemption but later flip-flopped, says he plans to have legislation introduced that would grant the exemption that the Catholic Church wants. Both Republicans and Democrats in the state legislature are against such an exemption so any bill granting it is most likely never to even see a full vote. Romney had the following to say:

“This is a sad day for neglected and abandoned children. It’s a mistake for our laws to put the rights of adults over the needs of children.”

I fail to see how this is a case of putting the rights of adults over the need for children. In fact, I see granting the exemption as placing the rights of adults over the needs of children. An individual’s homosexuality does not automatically mean they lack the capacity to provide a good home to a child who needs one. Go look at the state of Florida if you need proof since homosexuality is filtered out of the the adoption system. By granting the exemption and allowing the bigoted policies of the Catholic Church to take precedence over state law, you in fact hurt children by taking away one avenue for them to be placed in homes. So you, Mr. Romney, need to stop advocating placing the rights of adults over the needs of children.

But you are right about one thing thought Mitt. It is a tragedy that the Catholic Church is so ignorant and bigoted that it will use children as pawns in what has been termed a culture war. And it is sad that you support the exploitation of these children in that way to further your political aspirations to be president. Your flip-flopping on the issue of the Catholic Charities exemption just shows that you are pandering to religious conservatives so they will vote for you in the 2008 primaries.

In the wake of the attempt to get an exemption to the state’s anti-discrimination law, Catholic Charities also faced losses in funding from organizations like The United Way and private organizations who disagreed with banning gay adoptions. Additionally, several members of Catholic Charities’ lay board resigned in protest over the issue.

Meanwhile, in California, they are attempting to pull the same stunt. After comments were made to the Boston Globe by Archbishop William Levada. Levada, who is the former head of the San Francisco Archdiocese and currently heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which is spearheading the assault on same-sex marriage and gay priests, discussed with the globe his placing of three children with adoptive parents who were homosexuals. He also told the globe that he generally does not believe children should be placed with homosexuals and cited a 2003 document from the Vatican making that belief policy.

Personally I see this remaining the way it is unless some conservative activist judge decides to rule in favor of the Catholic Church. The reason I say this is because both Massachusetts and California are treating all adoption agencies the same in terms of state funding. Say, for the sake of argument, there was an adoption service provided by the Ku Klux Klan or Neo Nazis. They would not be able to discriminate against homosexuals either. And what of a racist church such as the one based in Illinois and their religious belief of white superiority? The Catholic Church would have to side with them as well. The Catholic Church can blow its horn and cry discrimination all it wants but people with common sense know that

Additionally, this is potentially a second case where the recent Solomon Amendment decision that forced universities receiving federal funds to allow military recruiters onto campus in spite of objections to the homophobic practices of the military. The issue is virtually identical in this case as well since the state put certain conditions that everyone, regardless of their association, must follow in order to receive those funds. While the Catholic Church may be the only one affected at this time, that does not necessarily mean that they are being singled out.

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Comments

3 Responses to “Catholic Church Ends Adoptions in Massachusetts and Tries Same Game in California”

Kathy
March 11th, 2006 @ 2:08 pm

This is shameful behavior! There are so many children in need of good homes; it is just sinful to deny them loving parents.

I think the Catholic Church leadership has made a calculated decision to do anything possible to deflect the bad press from the pedophile priests — and smearing gays seems to be the primary tactic.
chris
March 11th, 2006 @ 3:46 pm

Has it ever occurred to you to think before writing? Is there a possibility that children may want to have parents - one of each sex?
Be as indignant as you wish, pushing for same-sex parenthood is for the benefit of the adults.
The Angry Fag
March 11th, 2006 @ 3:51 pm

Has it ever occured to you that any parents are better for children than no parents?

Children do not have the same cognitions about same-sex parents as adults do.

The bottom line is that these kids need homes, not to be used as pawns by the Catholic Church and an unmitigated ass with presidential aspirations to impose a policy based in nothing but bigotry.