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Gay Adoption Bill Introduced to Congress

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on May 10, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

With 25,000 teens aging out of the foster care system annually, placing them at greater risk of poverty and incarceration, it's clear that America's adoption and foster care system needs an overhaul.

Taking a step in that direction is Rep. Pete Stark, who introduced a bill into Congress last week that would make it illegal to discriminate against same-sex couples who wish to adopt.

Recently, states have taken a negative stance on the issue of gay adoption, reports the Advocate. Last month, Arizona passed a law that would favor opposite-sex couples in the area of adoption, while Virginia flat out rejected adding anti-discrimination provisions to its rules.

The Every Child Deserves a Family Act seeks to change that, banning "discrimination in adoption and foster placement based on the sexual orientation, marital status or gender identity of the potential parent."

While the bill, and gay adoption in general, doesn't have any Republican sponsors, the Huffington Post points out that scientific studies have shown that children raised in same-sex households do just as well as those raised by parents of different genders.

There's no objective reason to prevent gay adoption, or to allow even one of those 25,000 children to be denied a willing and loving family.

However, supporters of the bill and gay adoption should expect a tough time in both the House and the Senate, the latter of which the Huffington Post reports is expected to consider a companion bill introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the next few weeks.

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