Arkansas House Bill 1119

Introduction: In his book: Same-sex marriage: Pro and Con: a Reader, Andrew Sullivan writes that homosexual marriage and by extension the right of gay couples to adopt children can be discussed on many levels including from social, societal, political and religious perspectives. One of his most important points is that any rational person considering this issue would have to concede that without the right to same sex marriage there cannot be social, economic or political equality for homosexuals in America. He suggests that fear of homosexual, homosexuality gay rights, and the right to allow gay people and gay couples to adopt children is one of the last prejudices that American society has not yet to face. Sullivan writes that that for any prejudice to be defeated, it must first be acknowledged by society as being a problem. Only after Americans acknowledge that this prejudice against gay people, who make up as much as 10 percent of the population of this country by some estimates, is a problem will there be the kind of support necessary to address and correct it. Sullivan writes that given the substantial number of gays and lesbians in America it is time to open the question of gay marriage and gay adoption to meaningful discussion and debate (Sullivan, 1997).

According to an essay on the Human Rights Campaign website, House Bill 1119 was introduced by Representative Bob Adams of Sheridan, Arkansas and if it becomes law this Bill will make s

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ldren - which state law requires the Department of Human Services to promote. The Bill itself permits one exception to adoption by a gay person: It allows unmarried individuals to adopt children who are siblings, stepchildren, grandchildren, great grandchildren or any other relationship by blood or marriage. In theory, this provision would allow a gay couple to adopt a foster child that is related to one of the members of the couple. However opponents of the Bill noted that it limited the eligible pool of people interested in being foster parents or wanting to adopt during a time when there is already a shortage of interested candidates. Opponents also said there was little evidence that placing a child in a home with a homosexual couple or a couple living out of wedlock would cause harm to the child. According to Seth Blomeley in an article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the Bill's author is quoted as saying that research that demonstrates that gays make good parents is flawed, and that HB 1119 would known to engage in current, voluntary, homosexual activity" from being foster or adoptive parents. It does not preclude a person who "appears to be homosexual or has a homosexual orientation" from being a foster or adoptive p

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